Gu Xiong writes about his own and the Salmon’s migration:

​“My mixed-media installation ‘A River of Migration’ focuses on the rich symbolism embodied in socks and salmon, expressing my spiritual rebirth.

When I saw the salmon spawning in the river and streams in the Fraser Valley, I was really moved by their life. I feel a deep connection between their experience and my own. I dreamt I was in a red space, swimming through the Yangzi River, into the Pacific Ocean, and finally arriving at the Fraser River. I felt like I was being carried by the current, not knowing where it would take me.

​I swam in the red river, my white socks laid out, forming a winding path on the bottom of the river. I felt like I was sinking, and then resurfacing……

​During this long swim, I saw the silver fish turn red, then white. The river changed from yellow to blue, then red. The fish and the river are intermeshed of two different cultural geologies, carving out an interstitial space. It is full of energy and gives birth to a hybrid culture.

​When the water comes, there will be a river. When the salmon returns, the river flows red. A spiritual river. A river of migration.”