Since his first solo exhibition in New York in 1982, Chinese-Canadian artist Ken Lum has developed a complex body of work that includes Furniture-Sculptures, Portrait-Logos, Language Paintings, Photo-Mirrors and Shopkeeper series works. All of his work involves the dialectics of private and public constructions of identity, space and politics, especially as they relate to image production in contemporary urban society. Working across multiple media, Lum’s art aims to challenge our fixed ideas about who we are when faced with the processes and pressures of cultural and political assimilation.

In the Shopekeeper Series, Ken Lum reflects upon the question of identity related to the production of images - signs - in urban society, focusing on the constitution of the subject. In these seires of works, Lum charts the transition of a family business from one generation to the next. Using a Pop aesthetic derived from signage typical of a modestly scaled business, the proprietor of this fictitious business mixes promotion of product with personal expression. The private sentiment displayed in this commercial medium shifts the mercantile announcement into a portrait of family ownership and delineates a landscape where the appropriate boundary between personal social relations and business functions has deteriorated.

Lum's major series from the 1980s onward - Portrait Logos , Youth Portraits, Portrait Attributes, Portrait-Repeated Texts, and the public commission There is no place like home - depict a broad range of types from the social spectrum. Each portrait is paired to a logo, a person's name, or a more descriptive and sometimes highly emotional text. Throughout his career, the artist has consistently worked with photographic portraits bound to texts, and his investigations into this territory embody his most significant achievements. The portraits he presents us with are rarely idealized; in fact, it could be said that he works within the tradition of realism.

Working in widely diverse media, some of Ken Lum’s solo exhibitions include the National Gallery in Ottawa and the XXIV São Paulo Bienal, where he represented Canada. He has also taken part in many prestigious exhibitions including Documenta 11 (2002) and the Venice Biennial (2001). Lum has participated in many prestigious international art exhibitions including Documenta XI, Shanghai Biennale, Sydney Biennale, Carnegie International, the Sáo Paulo Bienal, The Venice Biennale and the Johannesburg Biennale. He is an active writer who has published in many leading art journals and magazines including, Art & Text, Art Margins, Nka: The Journal of Contemporary African Art and Art & Collections. He is also Founding Editor of Yishu: The Journal of Contemporary Chinese Art.

Lum has also curated major exhibitions, both historical and contemporary. He was curator of the 2004 NorthWest Annual exhibition held at Center of Contemporary Art in Seattle, Shanghai Modern: 1919 - 1945 for the Museum Villa Stuck in Munich, and co-curator of Sharjah Biennial 7, held in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. More recently, Lum has been working on a number of public art commissions, including ones for the cities of Vancouver, Vienna, Toronto, Stockholm, Zurich and Leiden. These new works are more involving of a language of critical urban politics. Lum was made a Guggenheim Fellow in 1998, and awarded a Killam Award for Outstanding Research.

The Rorschach Shopkeeper Series was Ken Lum's first solo show in China, held in Tang Contemporary Art Centre, Beijing in 2007.

Images and text courtesey of Ken Lum and L.A. Galerie Lothar Albrecht and Tang Contemporary Art Centre, Beijing

KEN LUM

Born in Vancouver, Canada, 1956
Lives and works in Vancouver

SOLO EXHIBITIONS

2004
L.A. Galerie (Lothar Albrecht), Frankfurt
The Power Plant, Toronto, Canada, December 11 – March 6, 2005

2003
Galerie Nelson, Paris, France, "Mirror Mirror", November 7 – December 12, 2003
Galerie Art&Public, Geneva

2002
Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography, National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, September 21, 2002 – January 12, 2003
L.A. Galerie Lothar Albrecht, Frankfurt, Germany, "Ken Lum", June 1 – July 20
Centre Culturel Canadien/Ambassade du Canada, Paris, France, "Ken Lum", March 8 – June 1 (catalogue)

2001
The Agency, London, England, September 8 – October 20
Andrea Rosen Gallery, New York, May 25 – June 30
Contemporary Art Gallery, Vancouver, BC, Canada, May 4 – July 16 (catalogue)
Centre for Contemporary Art, Kitakyushu, Japan, "I wish I had more friends (or one more sign of depression)", May (catalogue)
Galerie im Taxispalais, Innsbruck, Austria, March
L.A. Galerie, Frankfurt, Germany, November 18, 2000 – January 27, 2001

2000
"There's No Place Like Home", Museum in Progress Project on the façade of Kunsthalle Wien, Der Standard and on "Infoscreen", Vienna, Austria, November 20, 2000 – January 10,
The Gate Foundation, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, May 12 – June 30

1999
Plug-In Gallery, Winnipeg, Canada, December 2, 1999 – January 8, 2000
Mendel Art Gallery, Saskatoon, Canada, September 17 – November 5
Walter Phillips Gallery, The Banff Centre, Banff, Canada, January 16 – February 14

1998
"Canada", XXIV Sao Paolo Bienal, Sao Paolo, Brazil, October 4 – December 13, curated by Jon Tupper, Paulo Herkenhoff. (catalogue)
The Agency Contemporary Art, London, England, September 19 – October 31
Galerie Drantmann, Brussels, Belgium, January 15 – March 5

1997
"Camera Obscura", San Canciano dei Bagni, Italy, April 4 – May 30
FRAC de Haute-Normandie, Ecole Municipale d'Arts Plastiques, Galerie Duchamp, Yvetot, France, March 26 - May 9 (catalogue)
Galerie Art & Public, Geneva, February 6 – March 15
Andrea Rosen Gallery, New York, January 31 - March 8

1996
Stills Gallery, Edinburh, Scotland, January 12 - February 17

1995
Galerie Drantmann, Brussels, Belgium, November 9 - December 16
Camden Arts Center, London, England, October 13 - November 26 (catalogue); travels to Stills Gallery, Edinburgh, Scotland, January 11 - February 17, 1996 (catalogue)
Walter/McBean Gallery, San Francisco Art Institute, San Francisco, CA, July 20 - August 20
Galerie Nelson, Paris, France, April 29 - June 3
DRAC, Lorraine, France, curated by Jerome Sans
l'Aquarium - Galerie de l'Ecole des Beaux Arts, Valenciennes, France, April 5 - May 13 (catalogue)
Salle d'Expositions, Ecole Nationale des Beaux Arts, Nancy, France, March 2 - March 24

1994
Andrea Rosen Gallery, New York, December 2, 1994 - January 14, 1995
Catriona Jeffries Gallery, Vancouver, Canada, November 28, 1994 - January 14, 1995
Oakville Galleries, Oakville, Ontario, Canada, September 17 - November 13 (catalogue)

1993
Galerie Daniel Buchholz, Cologne, Germany, November 5 - December 4
Galerie Johnen & Schottle, Cologne, Germany, November 5 - December 4
Stadtische Galerie im Lenbachhaus, Munich, Germany, January 20 - March 7; travels to Neue Galerie am Landesmuseum Joanneum, Graz, Austria March 26 - April 25; Stadtgalerie Saarbrucken, Saarbrucken, Germany, May 9 - June 12; Badischer Kunsverein, Karlsruhe, Germany, June 19 - July 25 (catalogue)
Badischer Kunstverein, Karlsruhe, Germany, June 19 - July 25
Stadtgalerie Saarbrucken, Saarbrucken, Germany, May 9 - June 12
Neue Galerie am Landesmuseum Joanneum, Graz, Austria, March 26 - April 25

1992
Andrea Rosen Gallery, New York, December 4, 1992 - January 16, 1993
Galleria Massimo De Carlo, Milan, Italy, November 4 - December 31

1991
Galerie Rudiger Schottle, Paris, France, October 22 - November 30
Galerie Daniel Buchholz, Cologne, October 11 - November 9
Fine Arts Gallery, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada, September 19 - October 12 (catalogue)
Galerie Rudiger Schottle, Munich, Germany, April 16 - May 19
Kunstmuseum Luzern, Luzern, Switzerland, February 2 - April 7 (catalogue)

1990
Witte de With Center for Contemporary Art, Rotterdam, December 15 – January 27 (catalog)
Galerie Meert Rihoux, Brussels, Belgium, December 5 - January 20
Galleri Nordanstad-Skarstedt, Stockholm, Sweden, November 3 - 30
Andrea Rosen Gallery, New York, September 11 - October 13
Winnipeg Art Gallery, Winnipeg, Canada, February 24 - April 29; traveled to Vancouver Art Gallery, Vancouver, Canada, August 15 - October 8; Witte de With Center for Contemporary Art, Rotterdam, Holland, December 15 , 1990- January 27, 1991 (catalogue)
Artspeak Gallery, Vancouver, Canada, February 17 - March 17

1989
Galerie Johnen & Schottle, Cologne, Germany, September 8 - October 7
Galerie Daniel Buchholz, Cologne, Germany, September 8 - October 7
Galleria Massimo de Carlo, Milan, Italy, January 11 - February 8

1988
Cold City Gallery, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, October 8 - November 2
Galerie Ralph Wernicke, Stuttgart, Germany, September 9 - October 7
Musee d'Art Contemporain, Montreal, Canada, February 28 - May 22 (catalogue)
Galerie Nelson, Lyon, France, January 16 - February 27
Nature Morte Gallery, New York, January 3 - January 31

1987
Galerie Daniel Buchholz, Cologne, Germany, November 13 - December 10
Robbin Lockett Gallery, Chicago, IL, May 7 - June 6

1986
The Ydessa Gallery, Toronto, Canada, March 29 - April 26
Convertible Showroom Gallery, Vancouver, Canada, January 22 - February 8
Nature Morte Gallery, New York, January 6 - January 31

1985
"Youth Portraits", Plug-in Gallery, Winnipeg, Canada, September 25 - October 13
Coburg Gallery, Vancouver, Canada, September 4 - 8
YYZ Gallery, Toronto, Canada, January 7 - 26

1984
"Partially Buried Sofa", SFU Downtown Studio Gallery, Vancouver, Canada, December 27 - January 3
"Portrait/Logos", Coburg Gallery, Vancouver, Canada, April 18 - May 5

1983
"World Portraits", OR Gallery, Vancouver, Canada, October 3 - 15

1982
Artists Space, New York, November 6 - December 4
SFU Downtown Studio Gallery, Vancouver, Canada, January 10 - 22

1980
"Sculpture for Dream Home", 505 Hamilton Street, Vancouver, Canada, July 23 - 30

1979
"Two Floorplan Paintings", Vancouver, Canada
"Architectural Digest Presents", Ian Wallace Studio, 303 Abbott Street Vancouver, Canada

1978
"Sculpture for Livingroom/Public Lounge", Ian Wallace Studio, 303 Abbott Street, Vancouver, Canada
"Walk Piece", outdoor performance, Simon Fraser University campus, Vancouver, Canada, October
"Entertainment for Surrey", outdoor performance in Surrey, B.C., Canada, July 5 - 10
"Anonymous", outdoor project, downtown street of Vancouver, Canada

GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2004
"Facing History/Portraits from Vancouver", Canadian Cultural Center, Paris, France, May 7- September 18. Curated by Karen Love. (catalogue)
"The Shadow of Production", Vancouver Art Gallery, Vancouver, BC Canada, October 30 – January 16, 2005

2003
"Borne of Necessity", Witherspoon Art Museum, Greensboro, North Carolina. January 18 – April 11, 2004 (catalogue)
"Social Strategies: Redifining Social Realism", University Art Museum, UCSB, Santa Barbara, CA, March 18 – May 11 curated by Klaus Ottmann and Pamela Auchincloss
"Away from Home", Canzani Center Gallery, Wexner Art Center of the Arts, Colombus

2002
"Sans commune mesure", Centre National de la Photographie, Paris, France, September 11 – November 18
Documenta 11, Kassel, Germany, June 8 – September 15 (catalogue
Logan Galleries, CCAC San Francisco Campus, San Francisco, CA, "To Whom It May Concern", Septermber 5 – October 26, 2002

2001
"L'Effet Larsen", O.K. Centrum fur Gegenwartskunst, Linz, Austria, December 7, 2001 – February 10, 2002, curated by Moritz Kung (catalogue); travels to Casino Luxembourg Forum d'Art Contemporain, March 9 – June 9, 2002 (catalogue)
"Le Mois de la Photo a Montreal 2001: The Power of the Image", Montreal Canada, September 8 – October 21
"Unpacking Europe", Museum Boij;mans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam, (catalog). Toured to: House of World Cultures, Berlin
Venice Biennial, Venice, Italy, "There is no place like home"
Kunsthalle Vienna, Vienna, Austria, "tele(visions)", October - January 2002, curated by Joshua Decter (catalogue)
Chac Mool Gallery, West Hollywood, CA, "TRANS>arts.culture.media presents TRANS>editions", March 30 – April 17
On the Frac Track, Kent Inistitute of Art and Design, Canterbury, England, March 11 - May 26
Museum Villa Stuck, February 11

2000
"Contemporary Photography II: Anti-Memory", Yokohama Museum of Art, Yokohama, Japan, November 23, 2000 – January 21, 2001, curated by Taro Amano
Bienal de Havana, November 16
"Clichi et Banalitis Photographiques", FRAC Nord-Pas de Calais, Dunkirk, France, November 10, 2000 - January 27, 2001
"Shanghai Spirit: Shanghai Biennale 2000", Shanghai Art Museum, Shanghai, China, November 6
"Leaving the Island", Pusan International Contemporary Art Festival, Pusan Metropolitan Museum of Art, Pusan, Korea, October 2 - November 27]
"Contaminated Symptoms", Oakville Galleries, Oakville, Ontario, July 29 - September 27

1999
"Life Cycles", Galerie für Zeitgenössische Kunst Leipzig, Germany, October 23 – December 5, 1999 (catalogue)
Ikon Gallery, Birmingham, England, "babel", September 11 – November 7; travels to Angel Row Gallery, Nottingham, England, March 4 – April 22, 2000; Mappin Art Gallery, Sheffield, England, May 6 – July 2, 2000 (catalogue)
"Venus' Window", Centro Civico per l'Arte Contemporanea La Grancia, Serre di Rapolano, Italy, July 31 – August 8
"Laboratorium, Antwerpen Open", Provincial Museum voor Fotografie, June 27 – October 3, organized by Barbara Vanderlinden and Hans-Ulrich Obrist (catalogue)
"Face to Face: Four Centuries of Portraits", Vancouver Art Gallery, Vancouver, Canada, June 19 – September 26
"In the City", FRAC de Haute-Normandie, Rouen, France, May 18 – July 31 (catalogue)
"Cities on the Move", Hayward Gallery, Royal Festival Hall, London, England May 13 – June 27 (catalogue)
"Sweet & Sour", Galerie Art + Public, Geneva, Switzerland, April 22 – May 22
"Visions Urbaines", Galerie due Rnb, FRAC Bretagne, rennes, France, January 11 - 31

1998
"Rebecca Horn, Ken Lum, Michaelangelo Pistoletto", Lumen Travo Gallery, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, July 1
"Recent Acquisitions to the Photography Collection", Morris and Helen Belkin Art Gallery, Vancouver, Canada, June 29 – September 27
"Photography as Concept", Fourth Foto-Triennale Esslingen, Germany, June 28 – September 6, curated by Dr. Renate Wiehager (catalogue)
Museum Villa Stuck, Munich, Germany, June 24 – September 20
"John Currin, Felix Gonzalez-Torres, Sean Landers, Ken Lum, Dan Peterman", Andrea Rosen Gallery, New York, June 23 - July 16
"Between the Sky and the Earth", University of Hong Kong Art Gallery, Central, Hong Kong, June 24 – August 11, curated by Hou Hanru (catalogue)
"Cities On The Move", CAPC Musée d'Art Contemporain de Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France, June 4 – August 30 (catalogue)
PS1 Center for Contemporary Art, New York
"Travel and Leisure", Paula Cooper Gallery, NYC, May 2 – June 27, curated by Steve Henry
"Ken Lum, Chen Zhen", Catriona Jeffries Gallery, Vancouver, March 19 - 25
"The Art of Memory", Bard College Center for Curatorial Studies, Annandale-on-Hudson, NY, March 8 – March 22, curated by Victoria Noorthoorn (catalogue)
"Arret sur Image", Galerie Art & Public, Geneva, Switzerland, March 5 – 31
Finnish Museum of Photorgaphy, helsinki, Finland, March 1 – May 31, 1998

1997
Inverleith House, Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh, Scotland, Decmber 13 – February 15, 1998
"Cities on the Move", Museum in Progress, Vienna, Austria, November 26, 1997 – January 18, 1998; travels to CAPC Musee d'Art Contemporain de Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France, June 4 – September 30 (catalogue)
"Repeated Gestures", Vancouver Art Gallery, Canada, November 22 – February 15
"Heaven – Private View", P.S. 1 Contemporary Art Center, New York, October 26 – January 30, 1998 (catalogue)
"Browser, Artropolis '97", Roundhouse Community Center, Vancouver, October 25 – November 23 (catalogue)
"The Exquisite Corpse", Presentation House Gallery, North Vancouver, Canada, 15 - 19
2nd Johannesburg Biennial 1997, South Africa, October 12 - January 18, 1998, organized by AICA, Africus Institute for Contemporary Art (catalogue)
Moderna Museet, Stockholm, Sweden, October 10 – January 10, 1998
"Hotel on Fire", Okanagan Art Gallery, Vancouver, Canada, August 16 – October 12, curated by Gary Pearson
"inSITE 97: Artist's Concepts", Athanaem Music and Arts Library, La Jolla, California, September 27 – November 29
"inSITE 97", Various Public Sites in San Diego/Tijuana, CA, September 26 - November 30 (catalogue)
"1 Minute Scenario", Le Printemps de Cahors", France, June 6 - 22 (catalogue)
"Foto Text Text Foto", Fotomuseum Winterthur, Winterthur, Switzerland, Aptil – June (catalogue)
"Optimiste", Carreau des Arts - Place de la Fontaine, Cergy-Pointoise, France, April 26 - May 3
"In Visible Light", Photography & Classification in Art, Science and the Everyday", Museum of Modern Art, Oxford, England, March 16 – June 22 (catalgue)
Inverleith House, Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh, Scotland, December 13, 1997 – February 15, 1998
Finnish Museum of Photography, Helsinki, Finland, March 1 – May 31, 1998
Museum Villa Stuck, Munch, Germany, June 24 – September 20, 1998
Moderna Museet, Stockholm, Sweden, October 10 – January 10, 1998
"The 20th: 1977-1997", The Bartlett Exhibition and Performance Space, Vancouver, February 12 – 28
"Synthese von Fotografie und Text in der Gengenwartskunst", Frankfurter Kunstverein, Frankfurt, Germany, January 27 – March 10 (catalogue)

1996
"a/drift: Scenes from the Penetrable Culture", Bard College Center for Curatorial Studies, Annandale-on-Hudson, NY, October 20 - December 22, curated by Joshua Decter
"foto text text foto: Synthese von Fotografie und Text in der Gegenwartskunst", MUSEION - Museum of Modern Art, Bolzano, Italy, September 13 - November 17; travels to Frankfurter Kunstverein, Frankfurt, Germany, January 22 - March 9, 1997 (catalogue)
"shopping", John Dellaria, New York, September 5 - 21, curated by Jerome Sans and organized by Deitch Projects
"Real Fictions: Four Canadian artists", Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney, Australia, August 27 - December 1 (catalogue)
"Surfing Systems", Kasseler Kunstverein, Fridericianum, Kassel, Germany, June 19 - August 4 (catalogue)
"Reading and Re-reading: Selections from the Permanent Collection", Oakville Galleries, Oakville, Ontario, Canada, Paril 20 - June 9 (brochure with essay)
"The OH! Canada Project", Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, February 16 - May 5

1995
"Der zweite Blick", Haus der Kunst, Munich, Germany, November 4 - December 3 (catalogue)
"Infrasound: a city project", various sites in Hamburg, sponsored by Hamburger Woche der Bildenden Kunst, Hamburg, Germany, October 13 - November 30, curated by Jerome Sans (catalolgue)
"Shopping", various sites in Bordeaux, sponsored by CAPC, Museum of Contemporary Art, Bordeaux, France, September 9 - October (catalogue)
Album: "The Photographic Collection of the Museum", Museum Boymans van Beuningen, August 19 – November 19 (catalogue)
"N.E. Thine Co.: The Ubiquitous Concept", Oakville Galleries, Toronto, Canada, September 9 - October 22, curated by Derek Knight (catalogue)
"Untitled (Reading Room)", Margo Leavin Gallery, Los Angeles, CA, July 8 - August 19
"on board", Il Nuovo Tionfo (a passenger ship), moored at Riva San Biago, Venice Biennale, Venice, Italy, June 6 - 11, curated by Jerome Sans and Karin Schorm
"Peinture, Photo et Compagnie", Espaces des Nouvelles Galeries, Arles, July 7 – August 15 (catalogue)
"Notion of Conflict: A Selection of Contemporary Canadian Art", Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, May 12 - June 11 (catalogue)
"Pieces - Meubles", Galerie Jousse Seguin, Paris, France, May 6 - July 31, organized by Bob Nickas
"Crash Pad", Postmasters Gallery, New York, April 29 – May 27
"Works from the Permanent Collection", Oakville Galleries, Toronot, Ontario, April 8 - May 3

1994
"GEWALT/Geschafte", Neue Galerie Gesellschaft fur bildende Kunst, Berlin, Germany, December 8 - January 30, 1995 (catalogue)
"Ground", Museum Boyamns-van Beuningen, Rotterdam, Holland, December (catalogue)
"Prospect/Retrospect", Kunstmuseum Luzern, October 15 - November 27 (catalogue)
Das Archiv/The Archive", Forum Stadtpark, Graz, Austria, October 13 - November 2 (catalogue)
"The Social Fabric", Beaver College of Art, Philadelphia, PA, October (catalogue)
"Practice Ground", Ottawa Art Gallery, Ottawa, Canada, September 8 - October 23 (catalogue)
"Private Eyes", Contemporary Art gallery, Vancouver, Canada, July 16 - August 13
"Die Orte der Kunst: Der Kunstbetreib als Kunstwerk", Sprengel Museum Hannover, Hannover, Germany, May 29 - September 11 (catalogue)
"Don't Look Now", Thread Waxing Space, New York, January 22 - February 26, organized by Joshua Decter (catalogue)

1993
"Collections", Musee Municipal de la Roche-sur-Yon, France, December 17 - January 31, 1994
"Viennese Story", Vienna Secession, Austria, December 15 - January 23, 1994 (catalogue)
"Space of Time: Contemporary Art from the Americas", Americas Society, New York, September 23 - January 2, curated by Sandra Antelo-Suarez and Alisa Tager, travels to Museo del Oeste, Caracas, Venezuela; Centro Cultural Recoleta, Buenos Aires, Argentina; Center for Fine Arts, Miami, FL June 1 - August 20 (catalogue)
"Kontruktion Zitat: Kollektive Bilder in der Fotografie", Sprengel Museum Hannover, Germany, August 29 - October 31 (catalogue)
"Die Sprache der Kunst (The Language of Art): Die Beziehung von Bild und Text in der Kunst des 20. Jahrhunderts", Kunsthalle Wien, Vienna, Austria, August 27 - October 17; travels to Frankfurter Kunstverein, Frankfurt, Germany, December 4 - February 20, 1994 (catalogue)
"Before the sound of the beep", various galleries in the Marais, paris, France, August 1 - 31 (catalogue)
"Guelph Spring Festival", MacDonald Stewart Art Gallery, Guelph, Ontario, Canada, May 6 - June 13
"Homage a Mondrian", Galerie Meert Rihoux, Bruxelles, Belgium, May 26 - July 3
"Canada, une nouvelle generation", FRAC des Pays de la Loire, France; Musee de La Roche-sur-Yon, France; Musee des Sables d'Olonne, France, April 3 - May 30 (catalogue)
"Drawing Ideas", Atelier Gallery, Vancouver, Canada, March 27 - April 17
"Working Documents: Vancouver Drawings", Artspeak Gallery, Vancouver, Canada, January 16 - February 6
"Live In Your Head", Heilgenkreuzerhof, Hochschule fur Angewandte Kunst, Vienna, Austria, and Galeire Metropol, Veinna, Austria, January 8 - February 12, curated by Bob Nickas (catalogue)

1992
"Sydney Biennale", Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia, December 15 - March 14, 1993 (catalogue)
"C. Eckart, G. Kuitca, J. Lasker, K. Lum, McDermot & McGough, D. Moylan", Galleria Galliani, Genoa, Italy, December - January, 1993
"Proiezioni", Buchholz & Buchholz, Cologne, Germany, October 22 - November 18 (catalogue)
"1968", Le Consortium, Dijon, France, October 17 - December 31 curated by Bob Nickas (catalogue)
"One + One", La Galerie Du Mois, Paris, France, October 3 - 31
"Avantgarde & Kampagne", Stadtische Kunsthalle Dusseldorf, Dusseldorf, Germany, September 18 - 27 (catalogue)
"Moltiplici culture: Arte Critica 1992", Casa Della Citta, Rome, Italy, May 19 - July 19; "The Speaker Project", Institute of Contemporary Art, London, England, September - December (catalogue)
"30 11", Galerie des Archives, Paris, France, May 13 - July 11
"C'est pas la fin du monde", Galerie Art & Essai, La Criee, Halle d'art contemporain, FRAC Bretagne - Galerie du TNB, Rennes, France, May 12 - June 27 (catalogue)
"Sporting Type", S.L. Simpson Gallery, Toronto, Canada, May 7 - June 30
"Neuerwerbungen 1990/1991", Stadtische Galerie im Lenbachhaus, Munich, Germany, April 7 - May 10
"Ken Lum, Rodney Graham", Galerie Nelson, Lyon, France, March 17-May16
"Cameres Indiscretes", Centre d'Art Santa Monica, Barcelona, Spain, March 12 - April 12; traveled to El Circulo De Bellas Artes, Madrid, Spain, May 27 - June 28 (catalogue)
"Internationale Kunstlerplakate Saarbrucken", Saarbrucken, Germant , March 5 - 22 (catalogue)
"J.S. Bernard, Ken Lum, Joan Wallace", Pat Hearn Gallery, New York, February 15 - March 29

1991
"The Wealth of Nations", Centre for Contemporary Art (Ujazdowski Castle), Warsaw, Poland, December 6 - January 12, 1992, curated by Cornelia Lauf (catalogue)
"Lieux Communs - Figures Singulieres", Musee de Arte Moderne de la Ville du Paris, Paris, France, October 24 - Jan uary 5, 1992 (catalogue)
"Louder", Galerie 400, University of Illinois, Chicago, IL, curated by Kathryn Hixson and Tony Tasset, October 21 - December 13
"Carnegie International", Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh, PA, October 19 -February 16, 1992 (catalogue)
"Dennis Adams, Hans Haacke, IFP, Serge Kliaving, Barbara Kruger, Ken Lum", Hochschule der Bildende Kunste Saar, Saarbrucken, Germany, October
"As Yet Untitled", Gallery 400, University of Illinois at Chicago, IL, October 2 - November 1
"Proiezioni", Castello di Rivara, Turino, Italy, September 14 - October 26, curated by Gregorio Magnioni
"Jessica Diamond, Jeanne Dunning, Felix Gonzalez-Torres, Hirsch Perlman, Ken Lum, Michel Zumpf", The Archives, Art Information Center, Rotterdam, Holland, September
"Books By Artists", The Archives, Art Information Centre, Rotterdam, Sept. 8 - Oct. 25
"Just What is It that Makes Today's Home So Different, So Appealing?", The Hyde Collection, Glen Falls, New York, Sept. 8 - Nov. 17 (catalogue)
"Van", Wilkie Fine Arts, Seattle, WA, curated by Patrick Painter
"Art Conceptuel des Annees 70 Aujourd'hui", Galerie Rudiger Schottle, Paris, France, May 4 - June 15
"Goya to Beijing", Vancouver Art Gallery, Vancouver, Canada, May 4 -
"Bildlicht: Malerei Zwischen Material Und Immaterialitat (Painting between Material and Immateriality)", Museum Des 20. Jahrhunderts, Vienna, Austria, May 3 - July 7 (catalogue)
"The Museum of Natural History", Barbara Farber Galerie, Amsterdam, April 27 - June 15, curated by Bob Nickas
"Daniel Buren, Stephen Prina, Ken Lum, Rudolf Stingel", HOME for Contemporary Theatre and Art, New York, curated by Colin DeLand, April 26 - May 19
"La Revanche De L'Image", Pierre Huber Galerie, Geneva, Switzerland, March 14 - April 13 (catalogue)
"Echoes After the Storm: Tiananmen Memorial Art Exhibition" Asian Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada, January 12 - 26
"Telekinesis", Mincher/Wilcox, San Francisco, CA, January 10 - February 2

1990
"(not so) Simple Pleasures", MIT List Visual Arts Center, Boston, MA, December 8 - February 3, 1991 (catalogue)
"No, Not That One, It's Not a Chair", Galerie 1900/2000, Paris, France, December 3 - January 12 (catalogue)
"Total Metal", Simon Watson Gallery, New York, November 3 - December 1 (catalogue)
"150 Ans de Photographie", Musee des Beaux Art, Nantes, France, November 16 - January 14 (catalogue)
Dusseldorf Forum, Dusseldorf Messe, Germany, November
"Art et Publicite", Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris, France, October 30-February 25 (catalogue)
"Op-positions", Fotographie Biennale Rotterdam II, Rotterdam, Holland, September 1-October 14 (catalogue)
"The Thing Itself", Feature, New York, July 10 - August 10
"Red", Galerie Christine & Isy Brachot, organized by Bob Nickas, Brussels, Belgium, June 27 - September 29 (catalogue)
"Goya to Beijing", Centre International D'Art Contemporain, Place du Parc, Montreal, Canada, June 1 - July 29
"Ausstellungraum", Galerie Johnen & Schottle, Cologne, Germany, April 27 - June 2
"Disconnections", Galleri Nordanstad-Skarstedt, Stockholm, Sweden, March 26 - April 21
"Information", Terrain Gallery, San Francisco, CA, January 4 - February 3
"Gallery Artists", Galerie Daniel Buchholz, Cologne, Germany, January

1989
"Foto-Kunst", Stuttgarter Staatsgalerie, Stuttgart, Germany, November 11 - January 14, 1990 (catalogue)
"Selections from the Ann and Marshall Webb Collection", Art Gallery of York University, Toronto, Canada, November 1 - December 17 (catalogue)
"D & S Austellung", Kunstverein in Hamburg and Kunsthaus Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany, October 13 - November 26 (catalogue)
"Prospect Photographie", Frankfurter Kunstverein and Schirn Kunsthalle, Frankfurt, Germany, October 10 - November 4 (catalogue)
"Jennifer Bolande, Tim Ebner, Mike Kelly, Ken Lum", Robbin Lockett Gallery, Chicago, IL, October 6 - November 4
"Fictions", Montreal International Airport and Galerie Aubes 3935, Montreal, Canada, September 30 - December 31 (catalogue)
"Internationale Foto-Triennale 1989", Villa Merkel, Esslingen, Germany, September 17 - November 5 (catalogue)
"The Play of the Unsayable: Ludwig Wittgenstein and the Art of the 20th Century", Vienna Secession, Vienna, Austria, September 13 - October 29; Palais des Beaux Arts Brussels, Belgium, December 15 - January 28 (catalogue)
"Oppningsutstallning", Galleri Nordanstad-Skarstedt, Stockholm, Sweden, September 9 - 30
"Vis a Vis Der Kamera: Aspekte Der Actuellen Portrait Fotografie", Galerie Grita Insam, Vienna, July 9 - September 9; Museum of Contemporary Art s'Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands, September 22 - October 29 (catalogue)
"Problems with Reading/Rereading", Rhona Hoffman Gallery, Chicago, IL, March 24 - April 22
"Prospect 89", Frankfurter Kunstverein and Schirn Kunsthalle, Frankfurt, Germany, March 21 - May 21 (catalogue)
"Ken Lum, Jeff Wall", Galerie Rudiger Schottle, Munich, Germany, February 8 - March 18

1988
"John Hilliard, Barbara Kruger, Ken Lum, Richard Prince, Jeff Wall", Galleri Contur, Stockholm, Sweden, November 19 - December 1
"Democracy: Cultural Participation", by Group Material, Dia Art Foundation, 77 Wooster Street, New York, November 19 - December 20
"Selected Photo-Editions of the 80's", Galerie Wilma Tolksdorf, Hamburg, Germany
"(W)orte", Galerie der Kunstler, Munich, Germany, October 28 - November 24
"Gallery Artists", Galerie Crousel-Robelin/Bama, Paris, France, October 15 - November 26
"Carl Andre, Daniel Buren, Kate Ericson & Mel Ziegler, Ronald Jones, Ken Lum, Julian Opie, Hirsch Perlman", Wolff Gallery, New York, September 15 - October 8
"Yellow Peril: New World Asians", Chisenhale Gallery, London, England, September 26 - October 16
"New York Now", Esbo Museum of Art, Helsinki, Finland, August 28 - September 25; Norrkoping Museum of Art, Norrkoping, Sweden, October 9 - November 11, Gothenburg Museum of Art, Gothenburg, Sweden, November 26 - January 29, Sundsvall Museum of Art, Sundsvall, Sweden, February 11 - March 27, Sodertalje Museum of Art, Sodertalje, Sweden, April 8 -May 28 (catalogue)
"Presi X Incantamento: L'Immagine Fotografica nelle Nuove Tendenze Internationali", Museo Padiglione d'Arte Contemporanea, Milan, Italy, June 7 - August 18 (catalogue)
"Art et Langage: Oeuvres Choisies, Annees 80", Centres d'Histoire de l'Art Contemporain, Rennes, France (catalogue)
"Furniture as Art: Recent Tendencies in Sculpture", Museum Boymans-Van Beuningen, Rotterdam, Holland, April 24 - June 6 (catalogue)
"The Discursive Field of Recent Photography", Artculture Resource Centre, Toronto, Canada, April 2 - 23 (catalogue)
"Works from Barbara Ess, Robert Gober, Rodney Graham, Ken Lum, Jeff Wall", Galerie Micheline Szwajcer, Antwerp, Belgium, March 19 - April 30
"Christoph Andres, Larry Johnson, Ken Lum, Hans-Jorg Mayer, Harald F. Muller, David Robbins", Galerie Daniel Buchholz, Cologne, Germany, February 5 - March 12
"Striving for Ideal Resolution", Nickle Arts Museum, Calgary, Canada, January 22 - March 13 (catalogue)

1987
"Nightfire", De Appel Foundation, Amsterdam, December 20 - January 31, Galerie De Lege Ruimte, Brugge, Belgium, December 6 - January 24, 1988 (catalogue)
"Logos", Anne Plumb Gallery, New York, December
"Signe des Temps", Galerie Ghislaine Hussenot, Paris, France, November 28 - January 1
"For Collectors", Cleveland Centre for Contemporary Art, Cleveland, Ohio
"John M. Armleder, Klaus Vom Bruch, Ken Lum, Hans-Jorg Mayer, Otto Meckley", Galerie Daniel Buchholz, Germany, December
"Jenny Holzer, Louise Lawler, Ken Lum", Galerie Crousel Robelin/Bama, Paris, France, October 17 - November 17
"Material Fictions", The 49th Parallel Centre for Contemporary Canadian Art, New York, September 12 - 16; State University of New York at Binghampton Gallery, Binghampton, New York, October 9 - November 8 (catalogue)
"Multiples", Galerie Daniel Bucholz, Cologne, Germany, September 11 - October 17
"Alan Belcher, Ken Lum", Coburg Gallery, Vancouver, Canada, April 8 - May 2
"Kunst Mit Fotographie", Galerie Ralph Wernicke, Stuttgart, Germany, April 4 - May 7 (catalogue)
"Der Reine Alltag", Galerie Christoph Durr, Munich, Germany, March 13 - April 25 (catalogue)

1986
"Foto Cliche", Victoria Miro Gallery, London, Engalnd, December 15 - January 27; traveled to The Orchard Gallery, Derry, Northern Ireland (catalogue)
"James Casebere, Clegg and Guttman, Ken Lum", Galerie Bismarckstrasse (Rudolph Zwirner), Cologne, Germany, November 13 - December 6
"Au Coeur du Maelstrom", Palais des Beaux Arts, Brussels, Belgium, September 19 -October 19 (catalogue)
"Caravelles: General Idea, Sol LeWitt, Ken Lum", Centre National d'Art Contemporain, Grenoble, France, June 22 - September 25 (catalogue)
"Damaged Goods: Desire and the Economy of the Object", The New Museum of Contemporary Art, New York, June 21 - August 10 (catalogue)

1985
"Transitional Objects: An Exhibition Organized by Joseph Kosuth", Galerie Philip Nelson, Lyon, France, October 18 - December 21
"Ex-Academe", Contemporary Art Gallery, Vancouver, Canada, November 1 - 30
"The Public Art Show", Nexus Centre for Contemporary Art, Atlanta, GA, November; C.W. Woods Gallery, University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS: Carolina Program Union, University of South Carolina, Columbia, S.C.; Austin Peay State University, Clarksville, TN; Valencia Community College, Orlando, FL; North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh, N.C., August 16 - October 19, 1986; University of the South, Sewanee,TN
"Barbara Ess, Rodney Graham, Ken Lum", Galerie Rudiger Schottle, Munich, Germany, July 17 - August 31 (catalogue)
"Rodney Graham, Ken Lum, Jeff Wall, Ian Wallace", The 49th Parallel Centre for Contemporary Canadian Art, New York, February 9 - March 9, curated by Ian Wallace

1984
"Poco Rococo", Coquitlam Mall, Coquitlam, British Columbia, Canada, June 2 - 15
"Miyagi Biennale", Miyagi Museum of Art, Sendai, Japan, April 24 - May 6 (catalogue)
"Contact (Two)", Walter Phillips Gallery, Banff, Alberta, Canada, January 9 - 29

1982
"Real Life Magazine Presents", White Columns Gallery, New York, May 11 - 26

1979
"Living Art Performance Festival", Firehall Theater, Vancouver, September 21 - October 21 (catalogue)