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Through the lens of contemporary artists’ engagement with the metaphorical and literal processes of fire and the spaces it creates and displaces, The Structure of Smoke includes works that problematize
Event Details
Through the lens of contemporary artists’ engagement with the metaphorical and literal processes of fire and the spaces it creates and displaces, The Structure of Smoke includes works that problematize the poetic, structural and political aspects of fire. These works complicate the inherent contradictions of wildness and domestication, technological progress and social control, colonial conditions, rebirth and death. Holding a smoked mirror to contemporary society, the works in this exhibition offer ways to undo the familiar in how we approach our uncertain future.
Speculative in nature, The Structure of Smoke is associative, contextual and driven by artistic practices that disturb existing power relations and question their own conditions and structures. With a focus on ecologies, interconnectedness and relationality the works and curatorial premise consider relating to land, community, family and wildfire ecologies including the non-human. As we have seen with the migration of smoke across the globe and the birth of a regular fire season, the ways in which we live with fire require new strategies that embrace specific Indigenous and ecological knowledges and the ability to develop relations with fire beyond the spectacle and devastation of its impacts.
The Structure of Smoke is curated by Melanie O’Brian and Tania Willard and made possible with the generous support of the Canada Council for the Arts, the Province of British Columbia through the BC Arts Council and our Belkin Curator’s Forum members.
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Location
Morris and Helen Belkin Art Gallery
1825 Main Mall, Vancouver
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Growing from the 2023 Gallery exhibition Invisible Fish, and inspired by the Joy Harjo poem “Remember,” remember the earth, remember the sky is a group show focusing on ancestral connections
Event Details
Growing from the 2023 Gallery exhibition Invisible Fish, and inspired by the Joy Harjo poem “Remember,” remember the earth, remember the sky is a group show focusing on ancestral connections through land, air, and memory as experienced and understood by early career artists connected to this territory and in conversation with works from the Gallery’s permanent collection by Salish artists.
Using an array of mediums, including painting, digital art, sound, sculptural installation, ceramic, and natural materials, the artists reflect on themes connected to place and environment, family history and ceremonies, migration and diasporic identities, and spirituality. This exhibition also includes hands-on experiences with art, including a visitor invitation where one can contribute to an interactive sculpture, weekly piñata breaking referencing its history of celebration and ritual, a collaborative playlist where visitors can dedicate a song to their ancestors, and more.
“remember the earth, remember the sky is partially inspired by my work with children with the Gallery’s school program Sharing Perspectives: Indigenous Contemporary Art Workshop,” says Alanna Edwards, Curator of Art & Education Initiatives. “Children are full of joy, curiosity, and wonder and are open to new ideas. I hope all who visit, no matter their age, can come and ground themselves by remembering their ancestors, their connection to place, and their journey.”
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Surrey Art Gallery
13750 88 Ave
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An exhibition of approximately 40 works from the collection of Montreal collectors, Lillian and Billy Mauer. Including photography, paintings and sculptures from this impressive international collection by artists such as
Event Details
An exhibition of approximately 40 works from the collection of Montreal collectors, Lillian and Billy Mauer. Including photography, paintings and sculptures from this impressive international collection by artists such as by Carrie May Weems, Lorraine O’Grady, John Baldessari, Rosemarie Trockel, Doug Aitken, Tatiana Trouvé, Huma Bhabha, Frank Bowling, Betty Goodwin, and Annette Messager. Often drawn to politically and socially engaged art, the exhibition will present a selection of works which represent the breadth of the collection.
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Griffin Art Projects
1174 Welch St
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Since its writing, circa 1599-1601, William Shakespeare’s play The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark has been subject to countless interpretations. Eschewing words, Ex Machina + Côté Danse’s Hamlet, Prince of
Event Details
Since its writing, circa 1599-1601, William Shakespeare’s play The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark has been subject to countless interpretations.
Eschewing words, Ex Machina + Côté Danse’s Hamlet, Prince of Denmark reinvents the archetypal drama into something raw and immediate. Canonical soliloquies that parse the darkest of human instincts and actions: corruption, suicide, betrayal and murder find a riveting new form.
Expanding upon their previous collaboration Frame by Frame (inspired by the work of visionary animator Norman McLaren), co-creators Robert Lepage and Guillaume Côté bring their respective genius to Shakespeare’s most famous work. Côté embodies the central character, wrestling with existential questions of being and nothingness, while Lepage, a master of multiple theatrical disciplines, infuses the Bard’s epic tale of intergenerational trauma with contemporary relevance.
With surtitles functioning as a kind of a Greek chorus, blood-red velvet drapery and pools of golden light from designer Simon Rossiter, the shadowy realm of dark motives and oedipal longing are made manifest. Composer John Gzowski’s original score further fleshes the narrative as the nine members of Côté Danse take on the roster of characters: Hamlet and Ophelia, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, Horatio and Laertes, Gertrude, Claudius, and Polonius.
Through the universal medium of dance, the story is told anew, a play without words, but rich with its own language.
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Vancouver Playhouse
600 Hamilton Street
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Fall(se) Circ(us) will explore the notion of rebellion against everyday complacency through shifting cycles of “work” and “rest,” inviting improvised movement as a form of resistance. Enquist’s experimental movement
Event Details
Fall(se) Circ(us) will explore the notion of rebellion against everyday complacency through shifting cycles of “work” and “rest,” inviting improvised movement as a form of resistance. Enquist’s experimental movement language – a combination of Martial Arts, snowboarding style, and experimental floor work – will be embodied by an ensemble of seven local performing artists.
At its core, Fall(se) Circ(us) seeks to subvert expectations, transforming a traditional performance space into a shared celebration with audience members. It begins as a contemporary display of physical excellence—movement that seems to defy gravity and physics, often likened to “circus”. As the work unfolds, this intense physicality gradually dissolves to reveal a performers’ humanity — the circus falls into movement that becomes relaxed, learnable and participatory in real time. A simple hand gesture, a step, repeated throughout the show becomes an invitation for the audience to join the joyful rebellion on stage.
Participation is always optional; viewers may remain seated and observe, or they may “activate” their experience and enter the dance.
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Roundhouse Community Arts & Recreation Centre
181 Roundhouse Mews
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Since they got married, Glen and Sandy Golden have celebrated every wedding anniversary by coming to the same cottage for a romantic getaway. This weekend marks a major milestone: 50
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Since they got married, Glen and Sandy Golden have celebrated every wedding anniversary by coming to the same cottage for a romantic getaway. This weekend marks a major milestone: 50 years of wedded bliss. Well, mostly bliss…. A week ago, Sandy cancelled their big anniversary party and kicked Glen to the curb. Now, he wants to talk. Join the Goldens as they recount the good, the bad, and the ugly of spending half a century together. From the writer of Bed and Breakfast and The Birds and the Bees, The Golden Anniversaries is a comedy-drama about marriage, memory, and a long-term love for the ages.
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Shadbolt Centre for the Arts
6450 Deer Lake Avenue