As an iconic landmark of Canada, the Niagara Falls illicit awe in tourists viewing its magnificent rushing waters. However, the waterfall is made possible only by a rupture in a river several miles away. Gu Xiong sees this as a metaphor for Canada; the country is perceived as glorious, yet this apparent glory is built on the struggles of countless migrant workers. The broken river represents the migrant workers; their pains are submerged by the flowing waters and converted to the brilliant waterfall, where their struggles evaporate and are subsequently unnoticed.

Canada’s developing society requires the aid of over 300,000 farm workers every year. Behind Glory (2012-2014) seeks to raise awareness of the struggles of these migrant workers behind Canada, and the pain behind glory.

“The Source: Rethinking Water Through Contemporary Art,” Rodman Hall Art Centre, Brock University, St. Catharine’s, Ontario, Canada, 2014

Waterscapes: Reframed, the Reach Gallery Museum Abbotsford, Abbotsford, British Columbia, 2011

“Behind Glory,” at Boya Art Museum, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, China, 2013