Khang Pham-New’s life has been a journey that took him far away from his native land only to bring him back years later. Born in 1968 in South Vietnam, he became at the young age of 12 one of the "boat people" searching for a new home. He wound up in a refugee camp in Malaysia before being adopted and moving to Canada. His new family and his teachers were very supportive of his artistic talent and encouraged him to pursue it. From 1987 to 1991 he attended the Ontario College of Art in Toronto where he majored in sculpture. In 1999, he traveled back to Vietnam and was reunited with his birth family. He began to associate with his native land and culture and now divides his time between Vietnam and Canada. His travels have influenced his life and his art. His work reflects the harmony and balance of the centuries-old yin and yang philosophy of the east, yet his biomorphic abstract forms reflect his contemporary western sensibility. The serene effect in no way diminishes the emotional and expressive content. Pham-New’s work has been included in several exhibitions throughout the world, including the prominent Vancouver Sculpture Biennial. His sculpture is in major public and private collections and has been featured in film and radio and television programs. Pham-New's piece at Grounds For Sculpture is titled Escutcheon, a term referring to a coat of arms in heraldry. The title may refer to the encouragement and support his adopted family gave to his artistic talent and the connection he finds between his family and his art. The sculptural form and the base are carved from a solid piece of yellow granite. The artist has created the appearance of the sculpture resting on a matching base, but the work is in reality one piece. "My childhood experiences growing up in Vietnam have paradoxically become a driving force in my artistic creations. I am impassioned with biomorphic abstract forms. As an artist, I am aware of and respect the art movements of my time, but to create, I remove myself from the influences of this time and retreat into a private space where I can experiment and explore possibilities of each phase of my inner life." - Khang Pham-New | | 
Escutcheon, 2008
yellow granite
72" x 50-1/4" x 48-3/4"
Loan courtesy of Glenn Green Galleries |
