Photo: Luiza Folegatti
The Department of Art History, Visual Art and Theory (AHVA) at the University of British Columbia is pleased to announce Jade Yumang as Artist in Residence for February to March 2026. During their residency, Yumang will work in a studio in the Audain Art Centre, conduct studio and class visits with students, and present a public artist’s talk. The talk will be held on Wednesday, February 4, 5:00 to 6:30 p.m., at Coach House, Green College and livestreamed, with a reception to follow from 6:30 to 7:15 p.m. in the Piano Lounge.
“My identity as an artist began at UBC as an undergraduate, and I am honoured to be invited back to engage with the AHVA community after all these years. I am in the preliminary stages of researching talismanic vests from the Philippines, known as anting-anting, which were used for spiritual protection, often combining Christian symbols with pre-colonial sigils, typically accompanied by pig Latin and rural patois. I intend to replace the original imagery and text with a queer argot from the Philippines known as Swardspeak. This language typically combines Tagalog, American English, Japanese, and Spanish, reflecting the country’s complex history. During my residency, I am eager to experiment with weaving and other fibre techniques as a way to explore text, textile, and texture.”
Jade Yumang was born in Quezon City, Philippines, grew up in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, immigrated to unceded Coast Salish territories in Vancouver, BC, Canada, and has been living in the traditional unceded homelands of the Council of the Three Fires in Chicago, IL. They have exhibited their work in several museums and galleries nationally and internationally. Yumang has received grants from the Illinois Arts Council, the Canada Council for the Arts, and the BC Arts Council. They have been an artist-in-residence at the Fire Island Artist Residency, Lower Manhattan Cultural Council Swing Space Residency, and Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts. They earned an MFA with honours from Parsons School of Design in 2012 and a BFA with honours from the University of British Columbia in 2008. Yumang is an associate professor in the Department of Fiber and Material Studies at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
The Artist in Residence Program in the Department of Art History, Visual Art and Theory is made possible by the generous support of an anonymous donor. Past AHVA Artists in Residence have been Beau Dick, Stan Douglas, Germaine Koh, Marianne Nicolson, Diamond Point, and Paul Wong.
