David Cheung - Fool Moving Mountains ; Curated by Suzanne Luke - According to Chinese legend there once was an old man named Yugong (meaning Foolish Man) who worked long hard hours in the crop fields. In front of his home stood two huge mountains, which blocked his path to and from the field. Frustrated by the lengthy detours, he decided to move the mountains. Despite the ridicule and laughter from the local villagers Yugong continued to diligently break rocks and carried away dirt. Over time the mountain spirits became so impressed by Yugong’s perseverance that they decided to send two titans to move the mountains away. - In Fool Moving Mountains, artist David Cheung draws from this Chinese proverb to create an exhibition that speaks to the societal challenges and determination to move forward during the Covid-19 pandemic. As an immunocompromised person Cheung experienced the impact of the pandemic on a personal level. As a result since the beginning of 2021 Cheung undertook the task to complete one drawing per day as well as meticulously copying the Quanyin Heart Sutra as a meditative method to combat the isolation and lack of human interaction. - During this creative process, Cheung explored the respiratory syndrome correlations between Covid-19 and cigarette smoking. How they affect the immune system, what they do to the human body, and the affects that each advance on the other. Motivated by the interconnection, Cheung also reactivated his Arti-Smoking Project, which examines the evils of tobacco companies. The current death toll for tobacco related illnesses exceed 8,000,000 per year. - Fool Moving Mountains combines Cheung’s self-reflections on the pandemic with his criticism of the sociopolitical issues surrounding the tobacco industry. This immersive exhibition incorporates works he created during the Covid-19 pandemic and 801 works especially created to commemorate tobacco victims. The combination of drawings, paintings, digital images, classical Chinese calligraphy, as well as site specific installations in the gallery space express the convergence of self-awareness, and purpose when questioning human behavior. Like Yugong, Cheung challenges viewers to re-evaluate the finite and the infinite. - David Cheung is a multidisciplinary artist with a focus on creative methods to enhance public awareness on social political issues. His works have been showcased at the 13th Biennial of Havana, Cuba; Ningbo Museum of Art, Ningbo; Art Museum of Guangdong Province, Guangzhou; White Box Art Center, Beijing; Seoul Museum of Art, Gonju Museum of Art, South Korea; Bunting Art Centre, Baltimore, USA; CAFKA.02, Kitchener; McMaster Museum of Art, Hamilton; Isaacs Gallery, Chromazone, CFA Gallery and Red Head Gallery, Toronto. - He currently maintains studios in Toronto and Beijing. - Suzanne Luke is the Curator of the Robert Langen Art Gallery at Wilfrid Laurier University. Her curatorial approach embraces collaborative processes, socially engaged ideas, and a thoughtful awareness of historical and contemporary narratives. As University Curator, she has implemented an innovative vision for on-going scholarship around contemporary and Indigenous art practices. - She holds a BFA in Art and Art History from the University of Toronto and a MA in Communication Studies from Wilfrid Laurier University. She is also a member of The COVERT Collective, a gathering of visual art curators from across Canada, sharing the work of artists that inspire them.