There’s no better time than January to give your artistic tastes an appraisal. What do you like, what challenges you, what art would you like to try for yourself? No matter what kind of events you’re circling for the year ahead, it never hurts to get out of your comfort zone a bit. That’s where the best art happens! So, to get you started, here are a handful of local events this month that will help you stretch your creative perspective a bit.
New Westminster
The Gallery at Queen’s Park
January 11 – 28, 2024
Coming soon to New West, this group exhibition showcases local artists musing on the impact that railways have had on the landscape of our community. Keeping with the theme, this collection has been travelling around the Lower Mainland, highlighting artists in the following categories: drawing and painting, mixed media, photography and digital Art, and a special spotlight on junior artists.
Centennial Lodge, Queen’s Park
By Transit: Take the Expo Line SkyTrain to 22nd Street Station, transfer to the Number 155 bus to east to the 6th Avenue and 1st Street stop and it’s under a five-minute walk to the park.
Vancouver’s North Shore
Ferry Building Gallery
January 11 – February 4, 2024
If you have ever wondered about the West Van artists pushing others to expand their creativity, this show will give some welcome insight. Featuring the work of local art instructors, Staying Curious shows the visions of those who inspire our budding art community. Through various mediums, each participant challenges the viewer to look at things (and art) in new ways.
1414 argyle avenue
By Transit: From Lonsdale Quay on the North Shore, take the #255 Marine bus to 14th Street, it’s only a two minute walk from there.
Intersecting Orbits: Michael Morris and Joan Balzar
Griffin Art Projects
January 27 – May 5, 2024
Two artists who were incredibly influential to the arc of BC expression are given a joint show to kick off the year at Griffin Art Projects. In their lifetimes, Joan Balzar (1928-2016) and Michael Morris (1942-2022) were instrumental in how abstract and concept art was developed in the local art community, especially in the 1960s and 70s. Now, with the full scope of their careers in focus, Intersecting Orbits shows how that influence continues to ripple through the canvases of contemporary BC artists.
1180 Welch Street
By Transit: From Lonsdale Quay, take the R2 Park Royal bus to Marine Drive at Pemberton Avenue. It’s about a 10-minute walk towards the water from there!
Vancouver
Morris and Helen Belkin Art Gallery
January 12 – April 14, 2024
In a time when faith in media and government continues to falter, Aporia (Notes to a Medium) explores how history and modern mythology have led us to this moment. A group exhibition, each piece shows artists’ reaching into the concept of collective doubt, and how that shapes our world
1825 Main Mall
By Transit: TransLink offers many routes to UBC, including several express services (44, 84, R4, 99).
Tangaj Collective: Ramanenjana
Scotiabank Dance Centre
January 19 – 21, 2024
The Dance Centre is always reliable for its inspiring and boundary-pushing work, and this short three-day run show sounds no different. A “docufiction,” the performance centres on a ‘dance epidemic’ that hit Madagascar for four months in 1863. The streets filled with dancing citizens unable to control themselves. Presenting both dance and the testimony of the people involved, Ramanenjana examines the broader implications of the event on society, whether political, religious, or colonial.
677 Davie Street
By Transit: SkyTrain: An 8-minute walk from either Burrard SkyTrain Station or Vancouver City Centre SkyTrain Station or Bus: 5, 44, 50
Langley
Aldergrove Kinsmen Community Center Main Hall Gallery
December 20th – Jan 31st, 2024
While it may have opened late last year, this Langley Arts Council show is well worth seeing through the rest of its January run. Point of View features a wide range of local artists presenting their latest pieces to the public. Through vastly different styles and mediums, the show is an excellent sampler of the hotbed of creative talent in the Lower Mainland.
26770 29 Ave
By Transit: From Surrey Central Station, take the #503 Fraser Hwy Exp/Aldergrove bus for about an hour until you get to
Fraser Hwy and 268 St. It’s about a 10 minute walk from there.
Surrey
un/tangling, un/covering, un/doing
Surrey Art Gallery
January 20–March 17, 2024
The rituals of hair and the stories that come from them are the focus of this latest show at Surrey Art Gallery. From personal identity to tradition and social pressure, each participating artist weighs in on the power that hair can have throughout the course of a life. Featuring a roster of voices from across Canada, you might be surprised how the subject matter can easily sway from casual expression to bold acts of resistance.
13750 88 Ave
By Transit: From King George Skytrain Station, take the R1 Newton Exchange bus to 88th Ave. It’s about a 5-minute walk from there!
Burnaby
Deer Lake Gallery
January 6 – February 10 2024
When you look at an object, can you detach it from its purpose? Two artists from Prague, Martina Kocmanová and Anna Ugolkova, seek to answer this question by challenging their audience to see things at a deeper level. Each artist combines objects in unexpected ways that might make you rethink their intended use and meaning. As the gallery puts it, “…the elements of this exhibition gather to create a single entity that can be studied through its components.” An interesting meditation!
6584 Deer Lake Ave
By Transit: From Metrotown Station, take the #144 SFU bus to Rowan Ave, it’s a 5-minute walk from there!
Kakizome (Japanese New Year’s Calligraphy) Drop-in Program
Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre
January 6, 2024
Embrace learning a new skill with the Nikkei Centre! No matter what level you’re at, you can easily hone your calligraphy skills at this drop-in workshop. The art of the written word has never been more apparent than through the Japanese New Year’s calligraphy style, Kakizome. Learn the medium’s history and the sense of purity that can be achieved while painting in this style.
6688 Southoaks Crescent
By Transit: From Metrotown Station, take the #119 Edmonds Station bus to Sperling Ave.
Whistler
Andrea Mueller: Inconsistent Memory
The Gallery at the Arts Centre
December 6 – January 27, 2024
It may be in its second month, but the January leg of this Andrea Mueller exhibition is well worth stopping by now that the holidays are over. With Inconsistent Memory, Mueller creates an intimate account of her childhood, piecing together the moments that set her life in motion. Tapping into that early sense of curiosity, the show allows these faraway scenes to live again, inviting viewers to relive their own bygone memories.
4335 Blackcomb Way
By Transit: There are several shuttles you can take to Whistler from Vancouver! You can visit the Tourism Whistler page here to find a reliable option for where you’re located.