Judi Michelle Young

Biography

Young trained in Visual Arts at the Ontario College of Art and Design where she graduated with honours and was the recipient of the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) Award.  She also obtained a BFA and MA in psychology from the University of Guelph, and 3D Graphics, University of Toronto.  She represented Canada at the International Sculpture Symposium in PR China and juried to represent Ontario at Canada’s National Sculpture Symposium.  Her work has participated in solo and group exhibitions in North America, Europe & Asia.  She has been a recipient of Canada Arts Council & Ontario Arts Council Grants.  Her works are included in private and corporate collections. Young is currently the President of the Sculptors Society of Canada, and Director of the Canadian Sculpture Centre. Young’s studio is based in Toronto.

Artist Statement

As a direct descendent of a CPR railway worker who received his Canadian citizenship in 1899 – (yet was subjected to the Head Tax) and a slave girl, my current conceptual installations are visual narrations of one of Canada’s earliest Asian immigrant families.

Exploring non-traditional materials, various elements are assembled onto wall and floor installations. Numerology is incorporated into my work, juxtaposing Eastern symbolism and Western concepts. Auspicious numbers symbolize hope, prosperity, and longevity. ‘9’ is a homonym for ‘longevity’.  The linked chains represent continuity of generations in my father’s adopted land. Finally – copper is a metaphor for ‘life’ and ‘energy’ – reflecting the resilience of the early immigrants.