"MAY AN OLD SONG OPEN A NEW WORLD"
by Gene Pendon and Bryan Beyung
Born in Montreal to a Chinese-Cambodian refugee family, Bryan Beyung says the marriage of cultures provided room to define his own creative space and while experienced in the world of digital he prefers the intuitive process of blending figurative and abstract art with elements of graffiti and graphic design. After studying drawing and painting at Montreal's Concordia University, Gene Pendon co-founded @HVW8gallery and the Heavyweight Art Installation project. In 2015 the two teamed up at Blvd René-Lévesque and St Laurent, at the gateway to Montreal's Chinatown district, to create this work for the @MUMTL project—inspired by Philadelphia's Mural Arts program. Beyung explains that the Chinese opera singer portrayed is set against a red background, synonymous with prosperity and bravery, a circle symbolizing unity, and masks representing the optimism and nostalgia of those arriving in a new country. @general_beyung/ @GenePendon
