Ken Lum - Background

Background

Lum's family established roots in Canada in 1912 through his grandfather, Lum Nin, who arrived from Xinhui, Guangdong in southern China to work as a labourer for the Canadian Pacific Railway company. Lum grew up in Strathcona, Vancouver neighborhood and later Kingsway (Vancouver) in East Vancouver. He attended Admiral Seymour Elementary School, Lord Selkirk Elementary School and later Gladstone Secondary School. His mother worked in a laundry mill and later in a garment factory while his itinerant father held various menial jobs. Lum's interest in art extends back to his youth, working as an illustrator for the Vancouver Public Library. He also worked for the Province of British Columbia's Ministry of the Environment as a scientific research assistant in the area of pestology. Simultaneously, he worked for the Ministry as an illustrator of flora and fauna. At Simon Fraser University, while a science student he enrolled in a contemporary art class led by Canadian artist Jeff Wall. Later he was a student of Ian Wallace. At Simon Fraser, he twice won a University Graduate Fellowship and was the inaugural winner of a Bice Caple Award scholarship. Lum is often cited as a member of the informally designated Vancouver School of artists, along with Wall, Wallace, Stan Douglas, Rodney Graham and Roy Arden.