CCCA Canadian Art Database

Ed Pien

Ed Pien is a Canadian contemporary artist, known for his drawings and large-scale drawing-based installations inspired by multiple sources (Inuit as well as European and Chinese) and traditions, printmaking, paper cuts and video and photography. He received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Western Ontario (1982) and a Master of Fine Arts from York University (1984). Pien`s practice is drawing-based. For his cut-outs, he uses an X-Acto knife as his drawing tool and traditional Japanese paper, or he constructs maze-like spaces using walls of crinkly paper grounds with drawings on them and through these large-scale installations he fashions a conduit into feeling and thought. He also is a photographer. In 2019, the Glenbow Museum (Calgary) held an exhibition titled Ed Pien: Our Beloved of 144 framed photographs of flowers hung together in a monumental, wall-filling installation to commemorate decorated gravesites at a cemetery in Santiago, Chile which is the final resting place for many political dissidents and victims of the reign of Augusto Pinochet between 1973 and 1990. Also in 2019, he made a ghostly new print at NSCAD in collaboration, as he said, with the Atlantic Ocean. In 2020, to bear witness to the disruptions and unease brought on by the pandemic, he concentrated on making his Invasive Species, series of green-coloured drawings inspired by decorative Chinoiserie patterns as well as carefully observed plants and insects thriving in his own garden.
Creator Id: 473
Social Media Link: Social Media Link
Virtual Collection: Original CCCA
Country of Birth: Taiwan
Year of Birth: 1958
City: Toronto
Country: Canada
Type of Creator: Artist
Gender: Male
Mediums: drawing, installation, photography, video
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Work by Ed Pien

The Garden of Earthly Delights

Work ID: 20192

Description: Touching female youth: by pressing on the upper layer the old figure appears. Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art, Toronto, Ontario

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The Garden of Earthly Delights

Work ID: 20190

Description: Floor space: interior floor piece - old wrinkled figures in the fountain. Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art, Toronto, Ontario

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The Garden of Earthly Delights

Work ID: 20185

Description: Red hole: one of the 7 holes on the main hell figure's body. Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art, Toronto, Ontario

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The Garden of Earthly Delights

Work ID: 20184

Description: Hell: red space at the end of the passageway. Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art, Toronto, Ontario

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The Garden of Earthly Delights

Work ID: 20183

Description: Passage: inside of passageway looking towards interior red space. Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art, Toronto, Ontario

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The Garden of Earthly Delights

Work ID: 20193

Description: Male youth: near life-size youth. Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art, Toronto, Ontario

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The Garden of Earthly Delights

Work ID: 20180

Description: Front panoramic view of installation. Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art, Toronto, Ontario

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The Garden of Earthly Delights

Work ID: 20189

Description: Pansy: view of another interior "garden" panel. Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art, Toronto, Ontario

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The Garden of Earthly Delights

Work ID: 20191

Description: Female youth: one of five near life-size youths. Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art, Toronto, Ontario

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The Garden of Earthly Delights

Work ID: 20187

Description: Back opening: view crawling into "garden" area. Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art, Toronto, Ontario

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The Garden of Earthly Delights

Work ID: 20188

Description: Cannibal animal: view of one interior "garden" panel. Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art, Toronto, Ontario

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The Garden of Earthly Delights

Work ID: 20194

Description: Touching male youth: view after pressing on the upper layer. Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art, Toronto, Ontario

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The Garden of Earthly Delights

Work ID: 20181

Description: Front walk: right side detail - figure for scale. Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art, Toronto, Ontario

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The Garden of Earthly Delights

Work ID: 20186

Description: Crawl: view from above showing entire structure of installation. Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art, Toronto, Ontario

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The Garden of Earthly Delights

Work ID: 20182

Description: Back corridor: rear view of entry into yellow/orange passageway. Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art, Toronto, Ontario

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