Bio
Geoffrey Lok-Fay Cheung is an artist examining the way bodies hold and transform memories, from its compaction against familial narrative legacies, to its dilation through ritual and ceremony. Cheung’s practice is guided by diverse material and disciplinary traditions, creating works—including print, video, and installations—that incorporate photographic images, organic materials, and digital processes. His interest in the negotiation of personal identity and cultural inheritance is informed by his own lived experiences. He is a queer second-generation Canadian settler of Chinese descent working and living on the traditional First Nation territories of Tkaronto, also known as Toronto, as well as the unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations, also known as Vancouver. He obtained his Master of Fine Arts degree in 2024 from Emily Carr University. He continues to hold a fascination for metaphysics and natural phenomena having previously obtained a Master of Science from the University of Toronto.
Artist Statement
My practice explores the complexities of identity, cultural inheritance, and memory. Through my work, I navigate the intersection of personal experience, familial narratives, and the broader context of diaspora and displacement.
Central to my art-making is the transformation of photographic images—both personal and archival—through meditative, laborious, and repetitive processes. In recent works, I accumulate wax, organic matter, and digital alterations over images to mirror the erosion and reconstruction of memories. This approach reflects the tension between preserving cultural roots and embracing new identities, particularly within the context of my lived experience as a queer, second-generation Canadian of Chinese descent.
My installations and photo-objects are sites of mourning and ceremony that utilize the detritus of cultural rituals and forgotten histories. By engaging with neglected remnants and employing digital technologies, I create spaces for reimagined narratives and alternate realities. Such processes allow for the emergence of new voices, including my own, in resistance to more dominant heteronormative familial-cultural legacies.
Through my work, I invite viewers to consider the malleability of memory, the impact of intergenerational displacement, and the potential for renewal through ritual. By situating my practice within the oscillating tensions between self, family, and the world at large, my practice offers a meditative exploration of how we collectively shape our shared histories and futures.
Curriculum Vitae
EDUCATION
2024 • Master of Fine Arts, Emily Carr University, Vancouver BC
2010 • Master of Science in Biomedical Communications, University of Toronto, Toronto ON
2008 • Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Life Science, Queen’s University, Kingston ON
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS, SHOWCASES
2024 • "The Show 2024," Libby Leshgold Gallery, MFA Group Exhibition, Vancouver BC
2024 • "Kindred," Michael O'Brien Exhibition Commons, MFA Thesis Group Exhibition, Vancouver BC
2023 • "Subliminal," The Lost and Found Gallery, Group Exhibition, Toronto ON
2023 • "Moments Between," Michael O'Brien Exhibitions Commons, MFA Group Exhibition, Vancouver BC
2023 • “The Bitten Peach: Asian Queer Spaces,” Urbanspace Gallery, Group Exhibition, Toronto ON
2023 • “Expressions of Home” Gallery 881, Solo Exhibition, Vancouver ON
2023 • “The Bitten Peach: Decolonizing Queer Asians,” Asian Arts and Culture Trust, Online Group Exhibition, Toronto ON
2022 • “Rencontre,” Gallery 1313, Group Exhibition, Toronto ON
2022 • “TOAF 61,” Toronto Outdoor Art Fair, Juried Art Fair, Toronto ON
2022 • “Surfacing,” Twist Gallery, Group Exhibition, Toronto ON
2022 • “Unyielding Earth: Contemporary views of climate change,” Esperanto Gallery, Juried Group Exhibition, Markham ON
2021 • “Societal Disruptors,” Biomedical Communications 75 Virtual Exhibition, Master of Science in Biomedical Communications, University of Toronto, Toronto ON
2021 • “BMC 75: A Retrospective Catalogue Celebrating Biomedical Communications at the University of Toronto,” Master of Science in Biomedical Communications, University of Toronto, Toronto ON
2018 • BioImages 2018 Salon, Biocomm 2018 88th Annual Meeting, Savanna GA
2018 • Newton 2018 Salon, 73rd Annual Meeting of the Association of Medical Illustrators, Newton MA
2017 • BioImages 2017 Salon, Biocomm 2017 87th Annual Meeting, Portland OR
2015 • Biomedical Communications 70th Anniversary Gala Salon, Master of Science in Biomedical Communications, University of Toronto, Toronto ON
2010 • Portland 2010 Salon, 65th Annual Meeting of the Association of Medical Illustrators, Portland OR
2009 • Richmond 2009 Salon, 64th Annual Meeting of the Association of Medical Illustrators, Richmond VA
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
2023–2024 • Research Assistant, Emily Carr University, Vancouver BC
2023–2024 • Teaching Assistant, Emily Carr University, Vancouver BC
2016–2021 • Director and Founder, Carbon Coded Studios, Toronto ON
2017–2020 • Editor, Biomedical Communications Alumni Association, Toronto ON
2015–2017 • Instructor, Clarafi, Brookline MA
2011–2016 • Medical Animator and Illustrator, Digizyme, Brookline MA
2010–2011 • Scientific Visualizer, TheVisualMD, New York NY
2007–2009 • Researcher, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Queen’s University, Kingston ON
2004–2008 • Medical Illustrator, Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Queen’s University, Kingston ON
EVENTS & PRESENTATIONS
2022 • Speaker, “A scientist's journey into visual arts,” UNCON 2022, Biomedical Communications Alumni Association, Online Event
2021 • Speaker, “Creating a Viewbook for our students, our community, and our profession,” 75th Annual Meeting of the Association of Medical Illustrators, Online Event
2020 • Artist Talk, “Way too many hats: My journey through the world of Biomedical Communications,” Master of Science in Biomedical Communications, University of Toronto, Toronto ON
2020 • Moderator, “Perspectives on Medical Illustration Outside of Canada” and “Perspectives on Freelancing as a Medical Illustrator,” UNCON 2020, Biomedical Communications Alumni Association, Online Event
2017 • Panelist, “Biomedical Communications Alumni Panel,” Master of Science in Biomedical Communications, University of Toronto, Toronto ON
2016 • Speaker, “Finding Clarafi,” UNCON 2016, Biomedical Communications Alumni Association, Toronto ON
2010 • Speaker, “Biomedical Games: Designing Learning Experiences for the Next Generation,” 65th Annual Meeting of the Association of Medical Illustrators, Portland OR
AWARDS
2024 • Vancouver Art Attack Award (Honourable Mention), Awarded for excellence in visual arts based on work in The Show 2024 Virtual Exhibition, Master of Fine Arts, Emily Carr University, Vancouver BC
2022 • Ron and Martha Burnett Fellowship Award, awarded as entrance scholarship, Master of Fine Arts, Emily Carr University, Vancouver BC
2015 • People’s Choice Award—First Place, awarded for best-in-show artwork in salon exhibit, Biomedical Communications 70th Anniversary Gala Salon, Toronto ON
2010 • Award of Merit, awarded for best editorial illustration at industry conference salon, 65th Annual Meeting of the Association of Medical Illustrators, Portland OR
2010 • Scholarship, Wendy Kates Award, awarded for outstanding academic achievement, Master of Science in Biomedical Communications, University of Toronto, Toronto ON
2010 • Scholarship, CIHR Health Research Communications Award, awarded for achievement and commitment to health communications research, Canadian Institute of Health Research, Ottawa ON
2009 • Scholarship, CIHR Pain Award, awarded for achievement in Biomedical Communications for continuing research in pain communications and visualization, Canadian Institute of Health Research, Ottawa ON
2009 • B.C. Decker Award, awarded for excellence in 3D visualization in science communication, Master of Science in Biomedical Communications, University of Toronto, Toronto ON
2009 • Keith L. Moore Award, awarded for outstanding didactic qualities, scientific insights, and artistic excellence in biomedical illustration, Master of Science in Biomedical Communications, University of Toronto, Toronto ON