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.

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.

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.

Portals are gateways to transformation—liminal spaces of transition, possibility, and change. For the 2025 Queer Arts Festival, Portals explores queer and trans experiences of crossing thresholds, stepping into new identities, and imagining futures beyond imposed boundaries. Presented in partnership with Centre A, this year’s curated visual exhibition also examines diasporic journeys, highlighting the intersections of queerness, migration, and belonging. In a time of rising anti-trans and anti-queer rhetoric, Portals is a call to reimagine the world, celebrating art’s power to forge new paths, challenge oppression, and open doors to liberation. Step through—what’s on the other side?

On the BMO Mainstage it’s a new production of Much Ado About Nothing directed by Johnna Wright, packed with Shakespeare’s wittiest wordplay, romance, and intrigue. It will play in repertory with Shakespeare’s comedy of love and disguise, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, directed by Dean Paul Gibson and performed with a unique ‘80s twist. In the Douglas Campbell Theatre, two productions will play in repertory: the company debut of the global smash-hit The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) [revised] [again], directed by Mark Chavez; and the intriguing new Canadian work The Dark Lady, written by Jessica B. Hill and directed by Moya O’Connell.

Dancing on the Edge Festival (DOTE), recognized as the cornerstone of Vancouver’s contemporary dance season, presents its 37th annual festival, featuring an impressive line-up of established and emerging dancemakers at the Firehall Arts Centre and SFU Woodward’s, on stages June 12 to 21, 2025.

Spotlighting a wide range of eclectic world and Canadian premieres, as well as works in progress, from Canadian and international artists, the festival will offer seven mixed programs, and three full-length works, over its 10-day slate of performances.

“In the turmoil of the world, we look to artists for solace, encouragement, and inspiration. For this year’s 37th annual DOTE Festival we are thrilled to present a roster of artists whose works offer a balm for the soul – exploring a pendulum of themes from isolation to connectivity, from being overwhelmed to feeling joy,” says Donna Spencer, DOTE Artistic Producer. “From established choreographers such as Lina Cruz, Noam Gagnon, Justine Chambers, Sarah Chase, Ame Henderson, Newton Moraes, Ziyian Kwan, and Lesley Telford to exciting newer voices like Cai Glover, Rebecca Margolick, and Jenn Edwards, our festival’s dancemakers will share work that transcends language, explores new perspectives, and transports us to different realities.”

Some of this year’s most anticipated performances include the world premiere of the full-length work Lurch from Vancouver’s MascallDance, an intellectually rigorous evaluation of legacy, in partnership with three commissioned choreographers: Justine Chambers, Ame Henderson, and Sarah Chase; the world premiere of a short work, Tunnel 9, from Montreal’s Fila 13 Productions, with acclaimed dancers Claudia Moore and Sean Ling-Allan who take refuge in a confined space; the world premiere from Taiwanese-Canadian dance artist Juolin Lee with Soup of Forgetfulness, a solo inspired by Taiwanese folklore about the afterlife and reincarnation in which Lee shapeshifts between the many characters of one’s past lives; and Tendrils from Ziyian Kwan – the first in a triptych of works as odes to artists whose writings, teachings, and practices serve as inspiration to Canada’s next generation of artists.

Canadian premieres include SUBJECT TO / خضوع from Moroccan choreographer/dancer Mehdi Dahkan, which contemplates the symbolism of silence as a form of protest and Muchos Cisnes from Spanish choreographer/dancer Manu Badás, whose work questions traditional perceptions of beauty, politics, and identity.

Nature’s beauty surrounds us—not just in towering mountains or along the shore, but right in our own backyards. In tandem with Arts in the Garden this year, North Van Arts invites you to step Through the Garden Gates and discover the hidden wonders waiting just beyond our doors. For this exhibition, CityScape gallery will be transformed into a vibrant community art garden with a mix of 2D and 3D artwork inspired by domestic floral and botanical themes. Featuring 38 artworks inspired by flowers, plants, greenery and even pollinators that can be found within home and community garden settings.

Rarely Seen Masterworks from the National Gallery of Canada—Degas, Klimt, Munch & More at the Audain Art Museum!

The Audain Art Museum proudly presents a landmark exhibition featuring rarely seen drawings from the National Gallery of Canada’s renowned Prints and Drawings collection. Established in 1921 as the first of its kind in Canada, this collection spans the 15th to 20th centuries, showcasing works in graphite, ink, pastel, watercolour, and more.

Gathered Leaves: Discoveries from the Drawings Vault is organized by the National Gallery of Canada (NGC). This exceptional exhibition highlights masterpieces by Edgar Degas, Gustav Klimt, Edvard Munch, Marc Chagall, Wassily Kandinsky, Pablo Picasso, and many other celebrated artists, alongside newly acquired and never-before-displayed works. The selection ranges from preparatory sketches for iconic paintings to striking depictions of history, mythology, portraiture, landscapes, abstraction, and intimate explorations of the human experience.

Accompanying the exhibition is Gathered Leaves: Discoveries from the Drawings Vault, a richly illustrated catalogue by Sonia Del Re with Kirsten Appleyard and contributions by Erika Dolphin. Published to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Department of Prints and Drawings at the National Gallery of Canada, the catalogue showcases remarkable discoveries from the collection.

Visit the Bill Reid Millennium Amphitheatre in Cloverdale on June 21 for Surrey’s National Indigenous Peoples Day Celebration & Wellness Event. Hosted by Semiahmoo, Kwantlen and Katzie First Nations, this free, family-friendly event is an opportunity to acknowledge and show respect and admiration for Indigenous Peoples past, present and future; to share cultural history; and to share spirit, experiences, stories, song, art and dance with each other and the community.

Features and Attractions include:

• Dancing and singing
• Sharing and teachings
• Traditional food, including bannock
• Arts exhibits
• Interactive activities and crafts
• Interactive cultural sports activities
• Teepee storytelling and face painting
• Health and wellness service providers.

Thousands of people visit the Scandinavian Community Centre every year to celebrate the traditions and festivities of Scandinavian Midsummer. In June 2024, it will be the 27th time a Midsummer Festival will be arranged, with a weekend of fun-filled activities, living history and non-stop entertainment for the whole family.

Viking Village

The Midsummer Festival has always been proud to host a life-size Viking Village on the festival grounds where Vikings live, work, eat and play all weekend long. The Vikings share their Viking life, arts & crafts and culture – you never know what else may happen in the village! Vikings can be very unpredictable. You never know what they are going to do next – so this is something you don’t want to miss!

Food, Folk Dancing and Fun!

Traditional Scandinavian entertainment continues throughout the weekend with folk dancing, choirs, and cultural displays. Enjoy a salmon BBQ and Scandinavian foods such as Swedish meatballs and Danish smørrebrød and at the end of the day, put up your feet and cool off in the Valhalla beer garden.

There’s lots of fun kids activities throughout the weekend with carnival games, an Amazing Nordic Race, storytelling and much more!

Sunday Breakfast

Midsummer Breakfast on Sunday morning at 10am to 11.30am (in the Beer Garden).

Hobby Horse Race

The cock horse, more commonly known as the hobby horse, has been around since at least the 16th century. It’s usually a straight stick with a horse head made of wood or stuffed fabric, sometimes with a wheel on the bottom end. The “rider” holds it between their legs and pretends to be a horse or riding one.  This will take place on Saturday afternoon.

Wife Carrying Contest – Be the fastest team to complete the course and win the Wife’s* weight in beer!

In the olden days, in small town Finland, there was no social networking or internet dating – if a man wanted a woman from a neighbouring village he had to go and take her! This show of worthiness and determination – together with rumours and hearsay – evolved into the Wife Carrying Contest, where a “husband” carries a “wife” through an obstacle course for a prize.

Star Witnesses assembles works by a constellation of artists whose insightful observations of the cosmos bring new understandings of exploratory and migratory movements on Planet Earth. The artists involved present fragments of found and newly produced photographic evidence showing planets, moons, constellations in distant galaxies, and the light of our closest star – the Sun – to address earthly concerns.

The title alludes to the artists’ precise visions – honed at the technical limits of photography – and to how encounters with their artworks may transform audiences into ‘star witnesses’ in turn. Certain works in the exhibition evolve in close dialogue with scientific imaging, while others go beyond or deviate from the focus of telescopic cameras, the logic of astronomy, and the path of satellites. Together, they attest to the fact that there is no universal way of gazing at the universe.

Each work offers the image of the cosmos as material evidence for a distinctive perspective, worldview, or imaginary. They give substance to vital histories, which struggle to see the proverbial light of day: one woman’s survival in an internment camp; one man’s narrow escape from a white mob; underexposed connections between a war in the Middle East and peace in a mid-sized German town; an artist’s moment of grace on top of a moonlit mountain, far from home.

Questions of POV are paramount: much depends on where on Earth we – the humans, the stardust – were born and where we have travelled, migrated, settled recently, or remained for generations, if not millennia. Dark matter abounds. And this too is evidence awaiting fresh interpretations.

This 50th anniversary exhibition pairs permanent collection artworks acquired from the first ten years of collecting (1975–1985) and the last ten years (2014–2024) through themes of landscape, architecture, portraiture, and movement.

Works paired under the landscape theme showcase the transformation of Surrey’s cityscape through urbanization, industrialization, and resource extraction. For example, a painting by Abani Sen and a photograph by Dana Claxton consider how traditional art forms can be reinterpreted in a contemporary context. Both artists emphasize cultural meaning and storytelling through representative animals in the landscape.

In architecture, the selected works draw attention to overlooked and unnoticed spaces or places that might feel peripheral but are important to forming the whole of the image. Gwen Curry’s and Karin Bubaš’ works reveal the hidden corners of our everyday life.

Through portraiture, the exhibition considers shifting conversations about identity and the formation of the social and cultural self. A pairing of works by Jim Jardine and Lakshmi Gill questions who is represented in a portrait and how identity is conveyed and interpreted.

The theme of movement considers both time and material. Lyse Lemieux and Gailan Ngan use sculpture to evoke a sense of motion and stillness. A spotlight is given to Sherrard Grauer’s Sky with Swimmers, installed in the lobby of the Surrey Arts Centre, where it complements the movements of all who pass through the space.

Through all these comparisons and contrasts, the exhibition shares a re-telling of the collection’s stories. Interspersed amongst the permanent collection artworks are written reflections from Surrey-based artists Ying-Yueh Chuang, Kiranjot Kaur, Manjot Kuar, Chito Maravilla, and Helma Sawatzky. Their material practices and perspectives introduce new conversations with the works in the collection.

Alongside the exhibition, a timeline featuring archival markers forms a visual narrative of the Gallery’s past and present. A ten-year span is often considered a milestone and, looking ahead, the hope is that in the next ten years, new stories will continue to unfold.

Get ready to paint the town rainbow because the Surrey Pride Festival is celebrating its 26th anniversary in 2025!

Mark your calendars for a day of love, laughter, and pure celebration on June 28, 2025. From 12 pm to 7 pm, Surrey Civic Plaza comes alive welcoming folks from every walk of life to revel in the spirit of pride and unity. Get ready to be swept off your feet by the mesmerizing live musical performances gracing the festival stage! And that’s not all – make sure you catch the enchanting Drag Queen Storytime, where tales of acceptance, friendship, and self-love intertwine to spread messages of inclusivity and joy. And let’s not forget the crown jewel of the festival: the dazzling drag shows and lip-sync battles that promise to entertain, inspire, and uplift. With performances that blend sass, style, and sheer talent, these queens will leave you spellbound and wanting more.

The Surrey Pride Festival is also a platform for powerful performance art, where artists from all walks of life come together to express their stories, struggles, and triumphs through the captivating medium of art.

Food vendors and community and business booths will be on-site showcasing everything from rainbow swag and community service information to quirky crafts and mouthwatering treats. And for those seeking to quench their thirst with something a bit stronger, the beer garden is the place to be, serving up refreshing libations and good vibes. Whether you’re a proud member of the LGBTQQIA2S+ community or an ally standing in solidarity, the Surrey Pride Festival welcomes you with open arms and a whole lot of love. You won’t want to miss out on this celebration of love and diversity.

Join us at Civic Plaza on June 28, 2025 for a day filled with joy, acceptance, and the unbreakable spirit of pride. See you there!