Laiwan was born in Zimbabwe of Chinese parents. She immigrated to Canada in 1977 to leave the war in Rhodesia. She is an interdisciplinary artist and writer based in Vancouver, BC. A graduate of Emily Carr College of Art and Design, Laiwan started the OR Gallery in Vancouver in 1983. She has since initiated various curatorial projects in Canada and Zimbabwe, participated in a variety of group and solo exhibitions and was an activist in community-based organizing. Her writing can be found in arts and community publications and her book distance of distinct vision was published by the Western Front in 1992. In September 1998 Articule Gallery in Montreal released a publication examining her bookwork and collages.

From 1994 to 1997, Laiwan was editor of Front Magazine at the Western Front. She recently received her Master of Fine Arts and taught sessionally at the School for Contemporary Arts, Simon Fraser University.

Her multi-media installation "Machinate: a projection in two movements" was first installed at the Video In Studios, Vancouver (May 1999). It traveled to Gallery 101, Ottawa (September 1999) and to Halifax in March 2000. You can currently visit the website at www.gallery101.org/machinate.htm.

V-Tape, Toronto and Video Out, Vancouver distribute her 1998 video Remotely in Touch.

QUARTET FOR THE YEAR 4698 or 5760: improvisation for 4 projectors will travel to the Sound Symposium 2000 Festival in Newfoundland to be installed at the Art Gallery of Newfoundland & Labrador from July 5-15, 2000.