Jig Space and Simon Fraser University (SFU) presents “A Journey in Search of Light” from Sept. 19 to Oct. 4—a visual arts exhibition showcasing the six-year long collaborations of painters Guo Yan and Pepe Hidalgo. For SFU professor Shuyu Kong, their collaboration tells a powerful story of connecting across language and cultural barriers.  

“It was quite an amazing story of how the artists communicated with each other—one speaks Chinese, the other speaks Spanish,” says Kong. “They communicated through art.” 

The exhibition will be held at Jig Space (106-8889 Laurel Street). Kong will host an artist talk on Sept. 21. 

An unlikely connection

Kong first came across Yan’s and Hidalgo’s art in 2020 at the Richmond-based Lipont Gallery. Titled “The Origins of Our Souls,” the exhibit was the artists’ first collaborative showcase. While they can communicate through some English, translators—including Hidalgo’s wife Noreen Marte and Yan’s friends—help facilitate this collaboration. 

“In the early stage of Covid…you have all these problems of separation, division, borders,” Kong reflects. “People become suspicious of each other, and I thought this [art] was trying to connect and communicate beyond language and beyond those cultural [barriers].” 

The professor then started following their collaboration, eventually serving as artistic advisor for this upcoming exhibit. Yan and Hidalgo returned to Lipont Gallery for another showcase of their collaborative works in 2022. This exhibit was titled “The Circle of Life.” 

Rachel Chen, curator of the upcoming exhibit, shares that the artists met shortly before the pandemic at another art exhibition. Yan was intrigued by Hidalgo’s The Spinners, which draws inspiration from 17th century Spanish painter Diego Velázquez’s Las Hilanderas. Their earliest collaborations involved sending small sketches to each other—a process the curator sees as “a conversation through painting.” 

 “They started to develop bigger artworks; each one was painted then sent to the other [person who] would paint on the original piece,” Chen adds. “They found an interesting way to communicate beyond language—language is precise, but it might also be misunderstood.”

The curator is a friend of Yan’s and acted as one of her translators. She sees this communication through painting as a more imaginative process—one that depends on “spiritual communications.” 

Kong adds that each artist has “a very distinctive style,” which piqued her interest in how they combined their art. While Kong interprets Yan’s and Hidalgo’s early works as maintaining their different styles, she says this trend is changing.   

 “In The Circle of Life…the colour is beautiful, it’s amazing, it’s like [Hidalgo’s works,] full of energy, but at the same time, I see [Yan’s] figures,” Kong shares. “They still have their own way of painting and drawing, but it is a work that you almost see as one.” 

Finding cohesion 

Chen also recognizes this emergence of harmony. According to the curator, Yan and Hidalgo are both “very humble” artists, not wanting to cross each other’s boundary. With time, they became more comfortable with one another. 

“When they combine [their styles] together into one piece of work, there are way more details than a single piece,” Chen says. “When you look at [their works], you can stand for hours and see a lot of things.” 

The curator sees Yan as a “very conceptual” artist and a “master of colour,” capable of creating visual depth. Chen notices how her paintings may change colour under different lighting, creating a “very moving” experience.  

Kong adds that Hidalgo’s works—often allegorical—are “deeply rooted in western mythology.” In contrast, the professor sees Yan’s work as reflecting on the “human price” of modernization and urbanization, creating a “sad, dark feeling” in its viewers. 

“Their paintings are not only about their culture, their roots, and their souls,” Chen adds. “They discuss about the political, climate change, waste, [and] trust between people.”

Kong’s interest in this collaboration also reflects her work researching Asian Canadian activism, and specifically, the use of art and literature as tools of activism. For the professor, these cross-cultural connections are crucial in a multicultural society. 

“In Vancouver, we have lots of different immigrant communities, but sometimes you also have lots of people who just stay in their own comfort zone,” the professor says. “There’s lots of opportunity to learn about other people; they are your neighbours in Canada.”

“[Yan and Hidalgo] always have hope—that’s why they’re bring the bible story, the circle of life, the search for light,” Chen adds. “As artists, they want to bring a positive energy into our reality.” 

The event is co-sponsored by SFU’s David Lam Centre. 

For more information, see https://events.sfu.ca/event/45436-a-journey-in-search-of-light-exhibition-artist.