Curator | Artist
Steven Dragonn (birth name Suiyang Long) is a visual artist and curator now based in Vancouver, Canada – the ancestral and unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəyəm (Musqueam), Sḵwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.
Dragonn holds a BFA at the Sculpture Department of Guangzhou Academy of Fine Art (2001-2005) in China, and a Master degree at the Cinema, Audiovisual, Sound and Digital Art Department of Université Paris-Est Marne-la-Vallée, France (UPEM – today Université Gustave Eiffel) in France (2006-2009). He served as Assistant Curator (2010-2013) and then Curator of Contemporary Art Sector (2013-2016) in the Memorial Hall of Lingnan School of Paintings in Guangzhou, China, Chief Curator of Kid’s Triennial of Canton, Guangzhou, China (2015), Artistic Director of R Space in Vancouver, Canada (2016-2018), Visiting Lecturer of Guangzhou Academy of Fine Art(2014-2020).
In 2018, Dragonn and Xiaoyan Yang co-founded Canton-sardine, an artist-and-curator-driven contemporary art space established in Vancouver, which has since attracted renowned national and international artists/collectives include: Jeff Wall, Marian Penner Bancroft, Image Bank (Michael Morris & Vincent Trasov), Paul Wong, Gu Xiong, Wang Qingsong, Zhang Peili, Polit-Sheer-Form-Office (Song Dong, Hong Hao, Leng Lin, Xiao Yu, Liu Jianhua), Wang Guofeng, Miao Xiaochun, Weng Fen and O Zhang.
Dragonn’s curatorial practice is central to his artistic endeavors, focusing on individual experiences, immigration of minorities, gender minorities, identities, and socio-political struggles. He formed a curatorial collective S² with Steven Tong (Co-founder & Co-director to CSA Space) in 2022, as well as he formed another curatorial collective HaveYouEaten with Jo-Anne Birnie Danzker (Former CEO of Sydney Biennale) and Elham Puriya Mehr (Iranian-born Independent Curator) in 2023.
Dragonn’s art practice is beyond Conceptualist and Neo Hyper-real Pictorialist across Communicatics and personal visual experience, with a wide range of forms, includes photography, video, sculpture and new media art such as immersive installation, video installation, and image-sculpture.
He speaks practically in Cantonese, Chinese mandarin, English and French. He became a Canadian citizen in 2021. Since then, he is award winning curator and grants recipient from Canada Council for the Arts & BC Arts Council.
AWARDS, GRANTS & NOMINATIONS
2025
Recipient of Media Artist Grant from the BC Arts Council (Project The Spirit of Reconciliation)
2024
Recipient of Media Artist Grant from the BC Arts Council (Project Where Do I Go From Here)
Long-listed at the Lind Prize for Emerging Artists, nominated by Helga Pakasaar (former Audain Chief Curator at Polygon Gallery) & Paul Wong (Governor General’s Award winning artist), Polygon Gallery, North Vancouver, Canada
2023
Recipient of Explore and Create Project Grantin Visual Art Project Grant Program from Canada Council for the Arts (Project To see & to be seen-phase 2: Bias or Ignorance?)
2021
Wang Qingsong: Fotofest, (Capture Photo Festival Seelected Exhibition and Winner of the Inaugural Printing Prize), Co-curator, Canton-sardine, Vancouver, Canada
Recipient of Explore and Create Project Grantin Visual Art Project Grant Program from Canada Council for the Arts (Project To See and To Be Seen-Phase 1: A Truth’s Perception Among Lights)
CURATORIAL PRACTICE – SELECTED EXHIBITIONS
2025
Miao Xiaochun: A Glimpse Through Time, (Capture Photo Festival Selected Exhibition), Co-curator, Canton-sardine, Vancouver, Canada
Charlotte Yao：Let’s Go To America, Curator, Canton-sardine, Vancouver, Canada
2024
Gone With The Wind, Co-curator, Canton-sardine, Vancouver, Canada
2023
Jeff Wall: Views In and Out of Vancouver, Coordinator, Canton-sardine, Vancouver, Canada
The Spiral of Spectacle: the Image Bank of Wang Guofeng, (Capture Photo Festival Selected Exhibition), Co-curator, Canton-sardine, Vancouver, Canada
Curator’s Sauna, Co-curator, Canton-sardine, Vancouver, Canada
2022
Any Thing Going Away, Where Ever Remains, Curator, Canton-sardine, Vancouver, Canada
Weng Fen: The Vanishing Landscape, (Capture Photo Festival Selected Exhibition), Canton-sardine, Co-curator, Vancouver, Canada
Lam Wong: Ghost from Underground Love, Curator, Canton-sardine, (Granted by Canada Council for the Arts) Vancouver, Canada
2021
Wang Qingsong: Fotofest, (Capture Photo Festival Selected Exhibition & Winner of the Inaugural Printing Prize), Co-curator, Canton-sardine, , Vancouver, Canada
Kristin Man: A-MARE to sea/ to love, ( the BC Art Council Media Grant), Curator, Canton-sardine, Vancouver, Canada
2020
No.223: Satellite of Love, (Capture Photo Festival Selected Exhibition), Canton-sardine, Co-curator, Vancouver, Canada
O Zhang: 2020: I Am Your Monolith, Co-curator, Canton-sardine, Vancouver, Canada
Gu Xiong: The Remains of A Journey, Co-curator, Centre A & Canton-sardine, (funded by Canada Council for the Arts, the BC Art Council & the City of Vancouver), Vancouver, Canada
2019
Immortal of Play, Curator, Canton-sardine, Vancouver, Canada
2018
Deng Jianjin: Organ Sociology, Curator, R Space, Vancouver, Canada
“I moved to 2756 on that street since 2016″ Charlotte Yao solo exhibition, (Capture Photo Festival Selected Exhibition), Curator, R Space, Vancouver, Canada
Poetic Ubiety: Meishan Land Art Festival, Co-curator, OCT Franco-chine Agri Science Villa, Meishan, Sichuan, China
He Lixiao: Minor, Curator, Canton-sardine, Vancouver, Canada
2017
Pins: A new project of Gu Xiong, (Funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada) Curator, R Space, Vancouver, Canada
What you looking at?!, Co-curator, Plaza Projects, Richmond, Canada
Genes in Floating: The immigration story by Pok-Chi Lau, Co-curator, R Space, Vancouver, Canada
2016
What the hell?, Curator, Contemporary Art Center for AT Space, Guangzhou, China
2015
Origins-the first Kids’ Triennial Canton, Chief Curator, Art Museum of Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts, Guangzhou, China
2014
Micro exhibition, Curator, Gaia Space, Guangzhou, China
Lingnan School of Painting and Guangdong Chinese Painting Resurrection Movement – International Symposium Research Exhibition, Executive Curator, Memorial Hall of Lingnan School of Paintings , Guangzhou, China
2013
Other Regionality – Youth Experimental Art Exhibition, Co-curator, Memorial Hall of Lingnan School of Paintings, Guangzhou, China
ART PRACTICE – SELECTED EXHIBITIONS
2026
Solo Exhibition Vancouver May Never Be Poetics Between Monparnasse and Mongkok, (Capture Photography Festival Selected Exhibition), Canton-sardine, Vancouver, Canada (Ongoing)
2025
Group Exhibition Dream Factory: Cantopop, Mandopop 1980s-2000s, Chinese Canadian Museum (National), Vancouver, Canada
2024
Solo Project screening Where do I go from here (Funded by BC Arts Council Media Grant), Centre of International Contemporary Art, Vancouver, Canada
2023
Group Exhibition Culture China, Through The Riptide as A Canoe, He XiangNing Art Museum (National), Shenzhen, China
2022
Group Exhibition Any Thing Going Away, Where Ever Remains, Canton-sardine, Vancouver, Canada
2013
Group Exhibition Other Regionality, Memorial Hall of Lingnan School of Paintings (Provincial Art Museum), Guangzhou China
2008
Group Exhibition 7788, O-office Architect Studio, Guangzhou, China
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
2023
Jeff Wall & Vancouver, Canton-sardine/ YouTube stream, Vancouver, Canada
2021
A visual culture report of Canada, School of Art and Design, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing, China
Conceptualism Photography: Vancouver School, School of Art and Design, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing, China
2020
The Immergence of Chinese contemporary art in International art scene, Vancouver Art Gallery, Vancouver, Canada.
2019
The North: Visual Art in Canada, Visual Culture Symposium, School of Communication and Design, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.
2016
A visual culture report of Canada, School of Visual Art and Design, Guangzhou Academy of Fine Art, Guangzhou, China.
TEACHING (Post-secondary)
2020
Contemporary art, Elective course, School of Industrial design of Guangzhou Academy of Fine Art, Guangzhou, China
2019
Experimental short film, Elective course, School of Visual Art & Design of Guangzhou Academy of Fine Art, Guangzhou, China
2018
Text Transition, Elective course, School of Visual Art & Design of Guangzhou Academy of Fine Art, Guangzhou, China
2017
Text Transition, Obligatory course, School of Visual Art & Design of Guangzhou Academy of Fine Art, Guangzhou, China
Flim & Video Art, Elective course, School of Plastic Arts of Guangzhou Academy of Fine Art, Guangzhou, China
2016
Text Transition, Elective course, School of Visual Art & Design of Guangzhou Academy of Fine Art, Guangzhou, China
2014-2015
International Film Study, Elective course, School of Plastic Arts of Guangzhou Academy of Fine Art, Guangzhou, China
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE & CONTRIBUTIONS
2025-2026
Artistic Advisor to Kay Barnes’ choreographical performance Girl Under (Funded by BC Arts Council, Victoria Dance & the Dance Centre, Vancouver), Vancouver, Canada.
2025
Juror for the Peer Assessment Committee of Arts Across Canada and Arts Abroad Program, Canada Council for the Arts, Ottawa, Canada.
Artistic Advisor to Wang Ying’s feature length documentary movie The Border, Canada.
Nominator for the Lind Prize, Polygon Gallery, North Vancouver, Canada.
2024-present
Overseas Coordinator to 1839 Photography Award For University Student, China.
2023
Community Advisory to Public Art Consulting, Vancouver, Canada.
2023-present
Co-founder and member of HaveYouEaten curatorial collective with Jo-Anne Birnie Danzker (Former CEO of Sydney Biennale and Former Director of Vancouver Art Gallery) and Elham Puriya Mehr (Iranian-born Independent Curator).
2022-present
Co-founder & member of S² curatorial collective with Steven Tong (Co-founder & Co-director to CSA Space).
2018-present
Founder of Canton-sardine (Artist-and-curator-driven Contemporary Art Space), Vancouver, Canada.
2018-2024
Co-founder and Director at Shang Foundation for Art (Non-profit Organization registered in Federal), Vancouver, Canada.
2016-2018
Artistic Director at R Space Art Development Foundation (NPO), Vancouver, Canada.
2016-2017
Co-founder and Curatorial Director at AT Space (NPO), Guangzhou, China.
2015-2018
Annual Design Director at Seasonal Chinese Contemporary Folklore Magazine Tian Nan, China.
2015
Chief Curator and Juror at Children’s Triennial Canton, hosted by the Guangzhou Municipal Education Bureau, Guangzhou, China.
2014-2020
Founder of Contemporary Art Edu-institute, Guangzhou, China.
Visiting lecturer at Guangzhou Academy of Fine art, Guangzhou, China.
2012-2016
Art consultant at Modern O2 Fashion & Art Online Media, Guangzhou, China.
2010-2016
Curatorial Assistant(2010-2013), and Curator(2013-2016) at Memorial Hall of Lingnan School of Paintings, Guangzhou, China.
PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION
2006-2009
Master’s Degree-Art and Science of Recording, Cinema, Digital Art and Sound Department, Université de Paris-Est (Marne-la-Vallée), France.
2001-2005
Bachelor’s Degree-Sculpture Department, Guangzhou Academy of Fine Art, Guangzhou, China.
1997-2001
Affiliated High School of Guangzhou Academy of Fine Art, Guangzhou, China
Steven Dragonn 