The history of Blackness is a testament to the fact that objects can and do resist.
In the Break – Fred Moten

How does the imposition and often demanding expectation of stillness traverse from being a gesture to a necessary apparatus of white supremacy? How many steps away from stillness would be needed to start a movement? How could the movement, stillness, and marked presence of Blackness be employed as both aesthetic and praxis of liberation, self-definition, and self-actualization? In Sit Still, exhibiting artists Arshi Chadha and Collin Patrick explore the tensions between the mandated stillness of the Black body and the urgency, negotiations, and movements that comprise the Black diasporic experience.

From the documentation of colonial subjects to the annotation of scenes of subjugation during enslavement, the camera has been used as a weapon not only to mark Blackness as the diminished other but further as a tool of control, power, and dispossession, with the image asserting itself as a neutral depiction of reality. In this vein, the stillness captured through the lens’s aperture is rife with politics, meaning, and definition cast onto the subject’s likeness from elsewhere.

As cognizant observers—and perhaps victims—of the intrusion of stillness and inexpression on Black life, Chadha and Patrick’s lens-based and material practices establish themselves as an inquiry into the politics of neutrality and the extended uses of self-representation through gesture, abstraction, and physical and psychic interventions that ponder how images are defined and the relationship between the image’s subject, viewer, and documentarian.

Z·inc Artist Collective (Willa Downing, Lesley Garratt, Cora Li-Leger, and Claire Moore) are united by a profound passion for community, craft, natural materials, and ecological consciousness. A long-standing presence in Surrey art communities, the group has supported collaborative artmaking initiatives with an extended network of creatives and the public at large for over a decade.

A Tangled Thicket captures the ethos of connectivity that lies at the heart of Z·inc’s practice. Drawing on theories of ecology, neuroscience, and ontology (the study of being itself), each artist expounds on the interconnection between nature and the human mind and how they are embedded within and shaped by each other.

Across painting, drawing, sculpture, textile, and handmade installations, each artist alludes to the porousness of the supposed boundaries that separate humans from other species, as well as the stories we tell ourselves about “nature” and our relationship with it. Citing inspirations such as the neuroscientist Santiago Ramón y Cajal, ecologist Suzanne Simard, and local poet and author Aislinn Hunter, Z·inc’s works vividly capture the resonance across all forms of matter: from the biochemical schemata of plant cells and brain neurons to the mycorrhizal networks of fungi, trees, animals, people, places, families, and memories.

Z·inc constantly strives to push beyond the boundaries of their own practices, inviting responses in the form of interactive installations. The collaborative Objects for Pondering project encourages visitors to handle bespoke, handmade items—books, miniature figurines, ceramic sculptures, memorabilia—that prompt personal reflection and meaning-making. Made for the occasion of Surrey Art Gallery’s 50th anniversary, the Cultured:50 project includes 50 petri dishes filled with objects co-created by other artists south of the Fraser.

Elsewhere, the exhibition includes artworks that celebrate the inherent craftsmanship of each artist’s approach, emphasizing organic materials, bodily sensation, and improvisation. Interactive sculptures by Claire Moore and ink paintings by Lesley Garratt imagine vibrant worlds of anthropomorphic creatures that move between realms, untethered by human categories, while artist books by Cora Li-Leger and large-scale installations by Willa Downing draw attention to the synergy between consciousness and history.

In the face of ever greater automization and social stratification, Z·inc proposes a radical creative togetherness imagined through the lives of artworks and the people who make, use, and respond to them.

The exhibit Legends of the Land / Sx̱wex̱wiy̓ám̓ tiná7 tl’a temíxw / ptakwlh ti tmicwa shares how traditional knowledge and history were passed down from generation to generation through stories. Guests can experience storytelling, bold artwork, petroglyphs and pictographs showing the connection to the land of the Sk̲wx̲wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation) territory and the Lil̓wat7úl (Lil’wat Nation) territory. Continuing the tradition of ancestors, these stories tell meaningful connections to the land, anchoring families to specific areas throughout time and strengthening their identities.

Curator Mixalhítsa7 Alison Pascal shares “We were requested by our Elders to learn and share more about our stories.  They’re vital to knowing and sharing who we are, where we’re from and all the possibilities available to us” 

Guests can view the exhibition in Gallery 3 of the Museum, opening on Friday, April 25, 2025. Beginning May 10, 2025, throughout spring and summer, Cultural Ambassadors will share a special feature Legends of the Land Tour at 3pm beginning with a welcome song, and live storytelling within the exhibit space in Gallery 3. The feature tour replaces the 3pm What We Treasure Tour – the signature hourly guided tour guests can experience at the top of every hour throughout the day. The Legends of the Land Tour will also be available as a group tour booked in advance based on availability.

The internationally acclaimed Toronto-based artist Edward Burtynsky will present a selection of large-scale photo-based works for this exhibition at the Audain Art Museum. Over the past 40 years, Burtynsky has focused his camera lens on the impact of human industry around the planet. This display of recent works in Whistler entitled The Coast Mountains captures the pristine grandeur of British Columbia’s natural environment, while highlighting the pressing issue of glacier retreat due to global warming.

Burtynsky reflects: “Recent reports on the world’s remaining glaciers provide sobering news. Estimates are that most of Western Canada’s glaciers will be lost to melting within the next 80 years. By the end of this century, they could all be gone. My daughters, who are in their 20s, will not be looking at the same world when they are my age. These images are a reminder of what’s being lost – relics of ancient ice and an essential resource for ecosystems and freshwater in these parts of the world.”

Such an exhibition in the AAM’s Upper Galleries brings a relevant sense of aesthetic wonder that has attracted visitors to Whistler for decades and the underlying dilemma of how the local mountain landscape continues to change. The Museum is honoured to host Edward Burtynsky, as he continues to be a leader in artistic discourse that speaks to a greater social consciousness.

Golya Mirderikvand’s paintings emerge from a place of deep focus, where both her external and internal worlds converge. She explores subjects that draw and hold her attention with the right intensity. The works in this exhibition are part of a recent series inspired by nature, capturing intricate networks of branches—whether through the canopies they form or the shadows they cast.

Her artistic process begins with photographing landscapes that feature compelling patterns of tree branches. She captures scenes from multiple angles, experimenting with light and shadow and zooming in on compositions that balance abstraction and realism. The selected photographs are then edited and carefully chosen as references for her paintings.

Displayed together, this series of paintings creates a lyrical harmony, inviting viewers into a visually rich world of structured yet organic complexity.

The Belkin is pleased to present an exhibition of work by the 2025 graduates of UBC’s two-year Master of Fine Arts program: Solange Adum Abdala, Mahsa Farzi, Vanessa Mercedes Figueroa, Sarah Haider and Yuan Wen. This program in the Department of Art History, Visual Art and Theory is limited each year to a small group of four to six artists, who over the two years foster different sensibilities developed within an intimate and discursive working environment. Through interdisciplinary group critiques, weekly seminars, artist talks, open studios and advisor discussions, students develop advanced techniques and expand critical concepts to emerge with a particular direction for their studio practice.

Impos(s)able Impositions: UBC Master of Fine Arts Graduate Exhibition is curated by Melanie O’Brian and presented with support from the Department of Art History, Visual Art and Theory at the University of British Columbia.

Refracted Fields combines studio-based and in-the-field experiments with prisms, coloured gels, and physical layering to deconstruct the ways we perceive the world around us. Contrasting images of sublime and everyday vistas, Briard unveils conventional vision to offer insights into our rapidly changing environment and the imaginaries that we attach to place. This work extends Briard’s ongoing practice that investigates the parallels between natural and artificial light, time, and perception. Briard is a Lecturer in Photography and Media Arts at Emily Carr University of Art + Design.

We are currently living through a very critical time of recurring natural disasters caused by climate change. Indigenous people and communities are some of the most impacted by these disasters. Our traditional territories are being affected by flooding, fires, drought, and in many areas a decline of the species that we rely on for hunting and fishing. Indigenous people have been at the forefront of environmental activism for generations and continue to actively fight for our traditional lands.

Vital Signs is a group exhibition that features artists who are discussing the impact of climate change through personal experiences and effects on their traditional territories in a variety of mediums. The title, Vital Signs, refers to the measurements of the body’s most basic functions, but is also a reference to how the land is essential to our being and is a living entity itself.

The artists featured in this exhibition are Jade Baxter (Nlaka’pamux), Jasper Berehulke (Syilx/Okanagan), Kali Spitzer (Kaska Dena), Kwiis Hamilton (Hupačasath/Leq’a:mel), Rebecca Baker-Grenier (Kwakiuł, Dzawada’enuwx, and Sḵwx̱wú7mesh), and Sage Nowak (Tahltan).

Just as “Umami” represents the rich and complex layers of flavour in cuisine, this exhibition delves into the depth and richness of nikkei artistic identity. Featuring a diverse range of artists, from emerging to established, including Japanese Canadian Legacies Art fund awardees. From traditional to contemporary art practice, the Umami exhibition shares the rich essence of our Japanese Canadian creative community.

Anchoring the full run of the exhibition is an interactive heritage inspired contemporary multi-media installation by Annie Sumi and Brian Kobayakawa called Kintsugi. Kintsugi is best known as a traditional Japanese technique of mending ceramics with gold. Annie and Brian’s Kintsugi conceptually mends broken and shattered experiences of what it means to be Canadian of Japanese ancestry through original music and spoken word activated by the visitor manually manipulating a Singer sewing machine that survived the era of Japanese Canadian internment and dispossession.

In Part 2, we introduce Molly JF Caldwell, the estate of Yoshiko Hirano, Marlene Howell, Vivien Nishi, and Reiko Pleau.  All of the artists investigate Japanese Canadian experience in their own style and media. Caldwell reimagines vintage textiles. Hirano, a long-term resident of Nikkei Home honed her skill in sumi-e.  Howell paints for the love of her heritage and sometimes dark history. Nishi honours her father’s internment era experience with manga-like illustrations, and Pleau mines the complex history and connection to her maternal ancestors. Artists, and Robert Hirano representing his mother’s work, will be in attendance at the Thursday, May 29,  2025 opening and artists’ conversation. The public is invited to attend.

Vancouver’s beloved annual STICKY Show is back for its fourth year on May 30th and 31st,
2025. Organized and curated by One More Life Gallery, this two-day weekend event will take
place at Gallery 881, a lens-based art hub that is generously donating their space for the
occasion. With free admission and every artwork priced at just $25, STICKY is one of the city’s
most accessible and exciting art events, perfect for anyone looking to experience creativity up
close and personal.

STICKY continues its mission to celebrate art in a fun and approachable format, showcasing
hundreds of original works by over 100 local and international artists. Each piece is created on a
3×3 inch sticky note, offering attendees the chance to take home something truly unique. The
collection showcases an incredible variety of themes and artistic styles—from whimsical and
humorous designs to deeply emotional and thought-provoking pieces. Artists draw from their
own unique perspectives, with contributors hailing from across Canada, as well as
internationally from Asia, United Kingdom, and the United States.

The opening reception for STICKY takes place on Friday, May 30th from 7 PM to 11 PM. Guests
can immerse themselves in the vibrant display of tiny masterpieces, meet the artists, and
embark on a treasure hunt, discovering and claiming their favorite pieces. On Saturday, May
31st from 12 PM to 4 PM, join the free family-friendly relief printing workshop and bring home
your own mini artwork to enjoy!

Griffin Art Projects is thrilled to announce its 10th anniversary program, which offers audiences a unique glimpse into the lives of the private collectors at the heart of the gallery’s programming. Kicking things off is the summer exhibition TENXTEN, on view from May 31–Sept. 7, 2025, which features artworks from the vaults of 10 Vancouver-based collectors.

A companion exhibition titled Christos Dikeakos: The Collectors, on view from Sept. 20–Dec. 14, 2025, will feature intimate portraits by Dikeakos, an eminent photographer who has captured lush images of collectors pictured amongst the artworks they have devoted their lives to collecting.