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Kakim Goh performing in “Vissa d'arte”, produced in Montreal, Canada, 2013. Still video frame: © Kakim Goh
Kakim Goh - Visual Artist & Curator
Introduction
I’m always thinking about things I have to do, things I haven’t done, things I did but should have done in a different way, and it’s hard to live without regrets or anxiety. So I think one great thing about the creative process is when you’re able to arrive at the moment when all of that disappears...
Kakim Goh is a Singaporean-born Montreal-based visual artist, curator and cultural worker who creates interdisciplinary painting, performance and video installations.
Born into a family of artists, Kakim’s father was a poet, doctor and nightclub owner whose wanderlust spread Kakim’s youth across Singapore, Malaysia, Vancouver and Cowhead, Newfoundland.
At the age of 19, Kakim left Vancouver for Mexico where he studied oil painting, drawing and printmaking processes for 5 years in the artist colony of San Miguel de Allende. Upon his return to Canada, he complemented his training with a BFA (Major in Painting and Drawing with distinction) from Concordia University in Montreal.
Visual Art
Kakim has been exhibiting in Canada and Mexico since 1993. He has participated in numerous exhibitions and performances in Quebec, most notably at MAI (Montréal, arts interculturels), the OBORO New Media Laboratory and la Maison de la Culture du Plateau-Mont-Royal. His artworks can be found in private collections in Canada, the United States, Singapore, Mexico, and Chile.
Curating
From 2014 to 2016, Kakim held the position of Curator of the Visual Arts Program at Festival Accès Asie (an arts festival dedicated to promoting Asian arts, histories and cultures in Quebec), where he organized international visual arts exhibitions, professional development workshops and cultural mediation activities for new immigrants in collaboration with the OBORO New Media Lab, la Ville de Montréal and the Embassy of Mongolia to Canada.
Cultural Work & Community Involvement
Kakim has a long history of community engagement helping to advance equity, diversity and inclusion in the education, arts and culture sectors.
He has been involved with Festival Accès Asie since 2001 and served as Vice-President of the Board of Directors from 2014 to 2019.
He recently completed a 4-year appointment as Member of the Evaluation Committee for New Artistic Practices and Multidisciplinary Sector at the Conseil des arts de Montréal (2017 to 2020).
Since 2018, Kakim has been active at the English-Language Arts Network (ELAN) where he has served as the Visual Arts Representative on the Board of Directors, Vice-President and Treasurer of the Executive Committee, Member of the Arts, Culture, Heritage (ACH) Working Group, Member of the Communications and Membership Committee and Chair of the Inclusion Committee.
Kakim lives with his daughter Xian in Montreal.
"Atlantic Pacific", from the series "Visions from North of the 49th Parallel", Flashe acrylic on paper, 42 5/8 x 119 5/8 in. (108.4 x 303.9 cm.), {FT= 3 ft. 6 5/8 in. x 9 ft. 11 5/8 in.}, produced in Montreal, Canada, 2013. Photo: © Kakim Goh