Biography
Portrait of Kakim Goh in his studio in Montreal, Canada, 2012. Photo: © Kakim Goh
Kakim Goh was born in Singapore in 1973, son of Goh Poh Seng, internationally renowned Singaporean playwright, novelist and poet and Margaret Joyce Wong, painter of pebbles and driftwood.
Asia & Canada
As a child, Kakim lived in Singapore and Malaysia. When he was 12, his family immigrated to Canada, landing in Vancouver in 1986. In 1988, they moved to Newfoundland where his father worked as a doctor in a small outport (fishing village) called Cowhead.
It was a dramatic move, from the city state of Singapore, to the small, remote Eastern outport with a population of 700, boasting one motel, two churches and three drinking parlors. Once there, Kakim threw himself with enthusiasm into such local activities as trout and ice fishing, rabbit snaring, berry picking and cross country skiing. Cowhead was located in Gros Morne, a world heritage national park where Kakim explored the terrain, marveling at its beauty. Overwhelmed by the strangeness and majesty of the landscape, he drew close to nature. It was at this time that he began to develop an inner world in which he explored his love of art and music.
On his family’s return to Vancouver two years later, he read extensively on art and listened to classical and jazz records on an old turntable. Nostalgic for the flavors and sights of Southeast Asia, Kakim spent much time wandering the streets of downtown Chinatown, visiting its dusty curio shops and eating in greasy spoon restaurants. He started cultivating a curiosity in Chinese culture. He also began his first tentative exploration into painting.
The youngest of four sons, Kakim felt he had to leave home in order to find his own voice. A book on the murals of Diego Rivera decided his destination. He left for Mexico in the Spring of 1993 with the dream of joining a Mariachi band.
Asia & Canada
As a child, Kakim lived in Singapore and Malaysia. When he was 12, his family immigrated to Canada, landing in Vancouver in 1986. In 1988, they moved to Newfoundland where his father worked as a doctor in a small outport (fishing village) called Cowhead.
It was a dramatic move, from the city state of Singapore, to the small, remote Eastern outport with a population of 700, boasting one motel, two churches and three drinking parlors. Once there, Kakim threw himself with enthusiasm into such local activities as trout and ice fishing, rabbit snaring, berry picking and cross country skiing. Cowhead was located in Gros Morne, a world heritage national park where Kakim explored the terrain, marveling at its beauty. Overwhelmed by the strangeness and majesty of the landscape, he drew close to nature. It was at this time that he began to develop an inner world in which he explored his love of art and music.
On his family’s return to Vancouver two years later, he read extensively on art and listened to classical and jazz records on an old turntable. Nostalgic for the flavors and sights of Southeast Asia, Kakim spent much time wandering the streets of downtown Chinatown, visiting its dusty curio shops and eating in greasy spoon restaurants. He started cultivating a curiosity in Chinese culture. He also began his first tentative exploration into painting.
The youngest of four sons, Kakim felt he had to leave home in order to find his own voice. A book on the murals of Diego Rivera decided his destination. He left for Mexico in the Spring of 1993 with the dream of joining a Mariachi band.
"Macho", oil on cotton canvas, 36 3/8 x 27 9/16 in. (92.5 x 70 cm.), produced in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, 1997. Photo: © Kakim Goh
Mexico
In Mexico, he discovered he was more interested in pursuing art making than playing music. He enrolled to study “grabado”- woodcut printing under Maestro Prado Velasquez at the Casa de la Cultura in Morelia. With his first successful piece “Sin Titulo”, he knew he had found his life’s passion.
A chance visit brought him to the beautiful colonial town of San Miguel de Allende. A celebrated art centre, it had attracted in its rich cultural history such renowned figures as Diego Rivera, Frida Kahlo, David Alfaro Siqueiros, Luis Buñuel, Pablo Neruda and Neal Cassidy. Kakim was to live there for the next five years.
Kakim took classes in etching, drawing and sculpture at the Bellas Artes. He also worked in the atelier of Julio Quintanilla, a printmaker from the Yucatan. His first major exhibition, consisting of woodcuts and etchings, was held at the Belles Artes in 1995.
Encouraged by the enthusiastic response of the local art community, Kakim now felt the need to expand his talents, to enlarge his skills and range. He found himself gravitating towards the time-honored tradition of apprenticing himself to a chosen maestro with whom he could study in depth. He found his mentor in Maestro Mario Cabrera.
Mario, who resembles Marcello Mastrionnani in his physique and elegant manners, is a Mexican painter and sculptor who received his training in Italy at the Academy of Fine Arts of Florence and the San Giacomo Academy. He had also apprenticed under the sculptors Mino Bruschi in Carara and Raymondo Puccinelli in Florence. Their friendship and artistic kinship would have a profound influence on Kakim who worked under Mario for the next three years. From him, Kakim learned the technique of painting with oils, studiously copying the old masters, aiming for perfection.
On the lighter side, their discussions on theory and many of the drawing sessions took place at a coffee shop across from the main plaza in San Miguel, fondly referred to as “ El Cafe Blanco”. There, they could observe and be part of the comings and goings in the town. It was at “El Cafe Blanco” that Kakim learnt that life is inseparable from art.
In 1994, Kakim saw a retrospective exhibition of the work of Zao Wou-Ki (b. 1921) at the Centro Cultural de Arte Contemporáneo in Mexico City. The Chinese-French artist’s oeuvres made an indelible impression on the young artist. Kakim felt that he had finally encountered an original voice who succeeded in bridging modernist European Abstraction and traditional Chinese painting. Wou-Ki’s work was proof that it was indeed possible to synthesize Eastern and Western aesthetics without sacrificing one’s personality.
Mexico had rekindled Kakim’s interest in Asian art. Kakim was determined to develop a new and distinct visual vocabulary that reflected his own history.
In 1997, Kakim felt ready to take off on his own. He worked in a fury for the next ten months and produced a series of 20 oil paintings that were exhibited at his first solo painting show entitled, “From the House of Crickets” at the Bellas Artes in spring, 1998.
In Mexico, he discovered he was more interested in pursuing art making than playing music. He enrolled to study “grabado”- woodcut printing under Maestro Prado Velasquez at the Casa de la Cultura in Morelia. With his first successful piece “Sin Titulo”, he knew he had found his life’s passion.
A chance visit brought him to the beautiful colonial town of San Miguel de Allende. A celebrated art centre, it had attracted in its rich cultural history such renowned figures as Diego Rivera, Frida Kahlo, David Alfaro Siqueiros, Luis Buñuel, Pablo Neruda and Neal Cassidy. Kakim was to live there for the next five years.
Kakim took classes in etching, drawing and sculpture at the Bellas Artes. He also worked in the atelier of Julio Quintanilla, a printmaker from the Yucatan. His first major exhibition, consisting of woodcuts and etchings, was held at the Belles Artes in 1995.
Encouraged by the enthusiastic response of the local art community, Kakim now felt the need to expand his talents, to enlarge his skills and range. He found himself gravitating towards the time-honored tradition of apprenticing himself to a chosen maestro with whom he could study in depth. He found his mentor in Maestro Mario Cabrera.
Mario, who resembles Marcello Mastrionnani in his physique and elegant manners, is a Mexican painter and sculptor who received his training in Italy at the Academy of Fine Arts of Florence and the San Giacomo Academy. He had also apprenticed under the sculptors Mino Bruschi in Carara and Raymondo Puccinelli in Florence. Their friendship and artistic kinship would have a profound influence on Kakim who worked under Mario for the next three years. From him, Kakim learned the technique of painting with oils, studiously copying the old masters, aiming for perfection.
On the lighter side, their discussions on theory and many of the drawing sessions took place at a coffee shop across from the main plaza in San Miguel, fondly referred to as “ El Cafe Blanco”. There, they could observe and be part of the comings and goings in the town. It was at “El Cafe Blanco” that Kakim learnt that life is inseparable from art.
In 1994, Kakim saw a retrospective exhibition of the work of Zao Wou-Ki (b. 1921) at the Centro Cultural de Arte Contemporáneo in Mexico City. The Chinese-French artist’s oeuvres made an indelible impression on the young artist. Kakim felt that he had finally encountered an original voice who succeeded in bridging modernist European Abstraction and traditional Chinese painting. Wou-Ki’s work was proof that it was indeed possible to synthesize Eastern and Western aesthetics without sacrificing one’s personality.
Mexico had rekindled Kakim’s interest in Asian art. Kakim was determined to develop a new and distinct visual vocabulary that reflected his own history.
In 1997, Kakim felt ready to take off on his own. He worked in a fury for the next ten months and produced a series of 20 oil paintings that were exhibited at his first solo painting show entitled, “From the House of Crickets” at the Bellas Artes in spring, 1998.
"Night Verse - Yellow Waltz", part 2 of a suite of 3 paintings, ink and wash on paper, 30 1/4 x 43 13/16 in. (76.9 x 111.4 cm.), produced in Montreal, Canada, 2005. Photo: © Kakim Goh
Montreal
Kakim returned to Canada, settling in Montreal in 1999.
Once again, he became a habitué of downtown Chinatown, where he scoured the souvenir shops and art galleries for reproductions of Chinese classical masterpieces. He was intent on discovering the language of traditional Oriental painting and calligraphy.
In 2001, Kakim took a course in Chinese calligraphy and painting at the Traditional Chinese Culture Society of Montreal. To his surprise and dismay, he found that he had difficulty expressing himself using the traditional calligraphy techniques.
The experience produced a decisive change in his approach to ink brush painting. Kakim realized that traditional Chinese painting and calligraphy did not reflect his history, life or personality.
He sought for a more spontaneous approach that incorporated greater corporal movement. To explore the rich world of tone, he reduced his palette to monochrome colors. During this period, his paintings were deeply rooted in performance and improvisation.
Kakim’s paintings and drawings during the 2000 decade were predominately in black and white.
Kakim returned to Canada, settling in Montreal in 1999.
Once again, he became a habitué of downtown Chinatown, where he scoured the souvenir shops and art galleries for reproductions of Chinese classical masterpieces. He was intent on discovering the language of traditional Oriental painting and calligraphy.
In 2001, Kakim took a course in Chinese calligraphy and painting at the Traditional Chinese Culture Society of Montreal. To his surprise and dismay, he found that he had difficulty expressing himself using the traditional calligraphy techniques.
The experience produced a decisive change in his approach to ink brush painting. Kakim realized that traditional Chinese painting and calligraphy did not reflect his history, life or personality.
He sought for a more spontaneous approach that incorporated greater corporal movement. To explore the rich world of tone, he reduced his palette to monochrome colors. During this period, his paintings were deeply rooted in performance and improvisation.
Kakim’s paintings and drawings during the 2000 decade were predominately in black and white.
Kakim Goh performing in "6 Moments" at the OBORO New Media Lab in Montreal, Canada, 2004. Photo: © OBORO
On May 15, 2004, he performed in “6 Moments”, a live interactive simultaneous webcast improvisation between 2 artists in 2 cities: Kakim representing the ink painting component in Montreal and multi-instrumentalist, musician and composer Donald Quan providing the music in Toronto. The performance took place before live audiences at Montreal’s OBORO New Media Laboratory and Toronto’s Studio Q. The premise of the project was to explore the technology of streaming video as a means of bridging physical distances and building community. The experience profoundly transformed Kakim's art making process and served as a springboard for further experimentation with performance and technology.
Starting in 2010, color returned to Kakim’s life and art.
As a follow-up to “6 Moments”, he teamed up with tabla player and percussionist, Shawn Mativetsky, to perform a live painting and music improvisation at the Festival Accès Asie Opening Ceremony at MAI (Montréal, arts interculturels) on May 3, 2012.
In May 2013, he debuted “Absence and Presence”, a series of Flashe Acrylic paintings and videos in the two-person exhibition “Absence et presénce” at the Maison de la Culture du Plateau-Mont Royal in Montreal.
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 this capacity, he spearheaded special project collaborations with business, cultural and governmental institutions such as the OBORO New Media Lab, la Ville de Montréal and the Embassy of Mongolia to Canada.
Kakim currently serves as the Vice-President of the Board of Directors at Festival Accès Asie and is an appointed Member of the Evaluation Committee for New Artistic Practices / Multidisciplinary Sector at the Conseil des arts de Montréal.
He is working on a multi-year project to produce a series of works that combine interdisciplinary painting, performance and video installations with live improvised music.
Starting in 2010, color returned to Kakim’s life and art.
As a follow-up to “6 Moments”, he teamed up with tabla player and percussionist, Shawn Mativetsky, to perform a live painting and music improvisation at the Festival Accès Asie Opening Ceremony at MAI (Montréal, arts interculturels) on May 3, 2012.
In May 2013, he debuted “Absence and Presence”, a series of Flashe Acrylic paintings and videos in the two-person exhibition “Absence et presénce” at the Maison de la Culture du Plateau-Mont Royal in Montreal.
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 this capacity, he spearheaded special project collaborations with business, cultural and governmental institutions such as the OBORO New Media Lab, la Ville de Montréal and the Embassy of Mongolia to Canada.
Kakim currently serves as the Vice-President of the Board of Directors at Festival Accès Asie and is an appointed Member of the Evaluation Committee for New Artistic Practices / Multidisciplinary Sector at the Conseil des arts de Montréal.
He is working on a multi-year project to produce a series of works that combine interdisciplinary painting, performance and video installations with live improvised music.
Portrait of Kakim Goh at the exhibition "Absence et présence" in Montreal, Canada, 2013. Photo: © Kiran Ambwani