By Harriet Goodwin
With the hype of the holidays over, it’s understandable if you feel like hibernating. But you can beat those winter blues and lift your spirits with this culture-filled lineup of things to do now that the year has reset. After all, a direct correlation has been found between good health and your level of participation in cultural activities, so go ahead and add to those statistics!
*Cover image by David Cooper
The PuSh Festival spans different art forms, venues and countries. Theatre, dance, multimedia and circus come together in performances which can be edgy, controversial and genre-bending – so much so that the Georgia Straight called it Vancouver’s best festival to give you ‘that Berlin feeling’.
On from January 19 – February 5
Multiple venues around Vancouver
Head over to the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts to check out the Burnaby Photographic Society’s 25th Annual Print Exhibition. This group of photographers of all skill levels meets once a week at the centre to share tricks, tips and their work – some of which you will find in the Centre Aisle Gallery and Encores Bistro.
On now until January 28
Shadbolt Centre for the Arts, 6450 Deer Lake Avenue, Burnaby
The Lind Prize is an annual happening at the Polygon Gallery, featuring work by BC-based photographers who made it as finalists of the 7th annual Philip B. Lind Emerging Artist Prize. The winner will be announced at a closing ceremony on the evening of January 26! The gallery gets to host new and emerging artists; the public can view a diverse exhibit, and the artists, who have often recently graduated, get an early leg up in their careers. Win, win, win.
On now until January 29
Polygon Gallery, 101 Carrie Cates Ct, North Vancouver
In Persian culture, the lotus tree symbolizes a place of refuge, safety and recovery. ‘Under the Shade of the Lotus Tree’ showing at The West Vancouver Art Museum will be a joint exhibit by artists Pari Azarm Motamedi and Rozita Moinishirazi, who were both born in Iran. The paintings featured will modernize traditional Persian symbols and stories in a way that addresses the Iranian Revolution, the Fall of the Shah in 1979, Persian diaspora and the current crisis in Iran.
January 25 — April 1
The West Vancouver Art Museum, 680 17th St, West Vancouver
Artist Francisco-Fernando Granados returns to SFU at the downtown campus, at the Teck Gallery- this time as an exhibiting artist rather than a student! This gallery is a social gathering hub that backs onto a view of Vancouver’s waterfront and often exhibits local artists exploring local concepts. This installation of diptych murals on vinyl explores line, colour and form, and the artist uses traditional tropes from the modernist movement, but digitally, begging the question (and the exhibit name): ‘Who claims abstraction?‘.
On from January 20 – December 16
Teck Gallery, Harbour Centre 515 West Hastings, Vancouver
This group exhibition was inspired by life during the pandemic (please stay with us here..!). Due to the increased time spent at home over the last few years, ‘Through the Lattice‘ is an examination of domestic life – how we inhabit space, where we live, what our dwellings look like and what all this says about our identity and how we relate to the world outside. Visit Surrey Art Gallery to check it out.
January 21 – March 26
Surrey Art Gallery – 13750 88 Ave, Surrey, BC
North Van Arts’ Art Rental Show is a yearly feast for the eyes. The salon-style exhibition features local artists working in a variety of mediums. 400 artworks are part of the programme, which allows you to rent a piece of art for as low as $10 per month! So prepare to rent, buy or at least, be inspired.
On from January 12 – February 11
CityScape Community Art Space, 335 Lonsdale Avenue, North Vancouver
Head over to Granville Island for the world premiere of The Cull – a play by Michele Riml & Michael St. John Smith. It tells the story of a group of friends who gather for a celebration, but a heated discussion threatens the group’s togetherness. The show promises that a ‘riveting dissection of human relationships and the forces that control our deepest motivations will keep you on the edge of your seat’.
January 26 – February 26
Arts Club Granville Island Stage, 1585 Johnston Street Vancouver
‘As the sun disappears and the shadows descend from the mountaintop’ is a new exhibit spurred by research by the artist Kathy Slade that took her all the way to Switzerland. She decided to follow in the tracks of the philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche who had written some of his most recognized books there. She retraced his steps to a particular rock that had really moved him and, for him, represented “the unconditional and infinitely repeated circulation of all things.” In the exhibition, she documents her reenactment of Nietzsche’s rock encounter in the form of an enormous tapestry alongside a series of 20 graphite rubbings she took from mapping the rock’s surface.
On from January 27 – May 7
Contemporary Art Gallery, 555 Nelson St, Vancouver
If you haven’t made the trip to the Audain Art Museum in Whistler yet, you should – the space alone is awe-inspiring. As a bonus, the touring exhibit ‘The Collectors’ Cosmos‘ is making a stop there and features over 170 works by European Masters like Rembrandt van Rijn, Hendrick Goltzius and Jacob van Ruisdae. The private collection was recently donated to the National Gallery of Canada and comprises mainly Dutch and Flemish prints from the 16th and 17th century.
January 28 – May 15
Audain Art Museum, 4350 Blackcomb Way, Whistler
To easily plan your route through Metro Vancouver, you can use the TransLink Trip Planner.
Shadbolt Centre for the Arts: From Metrotown Station, take the #144 bus to Deer Lake and Rowan Ave.
Polygon Gallery: Take the Seabus to Lonsdale Quay and walk east along the water- less than 5 minutes.
The West Vancouver Art Museum: From Lonsdale Quay, take the #255 bus to Marine and 17th St.
Teck Gallery: Any bus heading downtown, you can hop out at Hastings and Seymour
Surrey Art Gallery: From Surrey Central Station, take the #321 bus to 88th Ave, then walk about 10 minutes east
CityScape Community Art Space: Take the Seabus to Lonsdale Quay and walk about 5 minutes north on Lonsdale Ave
Arts Club Granville Island Stage: Take the #50 South False Creek via Granville Island bus to 2nd Ave at the foot of the Granville Island entrance.
Contemporary Art Gallery: Take any bus heading along Granville Street, and exit at Nelson Street. It’s only a 5-minute walk from there!
Audain Art Museum: There are several shuttles you can take to Whistler from Vancouver. For instance, there is one that leaves from the River Rock Casino in Richmond, which you can get to by taking the Canada Line train to Bridgeport Station.
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