February 26, 2010 | 2010 Olympics >
Vancouver, Art Galleries & Artists
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Exploring the Olympic celebrations in Vancouver, I’ve spotted loads of giant, fiberglass eagles, wings spread and talons outstretched. Eagles in the City are in fact third in a trilogy of sculptures commissioned by the BC Lions Society for Children with Disabilities – and they’ll be around until April 2010. Follow out the Eagle flight path at eaglesinthecity.com.
Another thriving art scene – and more apt for a rainy day – is a set of galleries along South Granville Street (a short bus ride over the bridge from downtown). During the Olympics, several artists have created sports-related pieces.
Windsor Gallery (3025 Granville St) – Artist Paul Wong’s installation features the bright and cheeky Mural Number 5, which is also on a billboard at the Granville & Georgia Canada Line Station.
Elissa Cristall Gallery (2245 Granville St) – Anda Kubis’s collection Split Second is all about speed, with blurry brush strokes and pixilated colour channeling athletes in action.
Bau Xi (3045 Granville St) – Vancouver painter Lisa Burke’s exhibition shows hockey players on a melting ice rink and athletes trying to free themselves from knotted cords. “Eye candy with a hint of acid,” is how she describes her work.
February 24, 2010 | Field Reports >
Vancouver, Art Galleries & Artists
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Vancouver really has some truly amazing museums and galleries, I went to the Museum of Anthropology and the Vancouver Art Gallery where the Leonardo da Vinci exhibit was on display. I even got to have a sneak peak at a rehearsal of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra at the Chan Centre, Wow, what a great day!
February 17, 2010 | 2010 Olympics >
Vancouver, Art Galleries & Artists
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Free ice skating, zip lining, kids’ shows and fireworks are all on offer at the BC Canada Pavilion at Robson Square. Today I was making the most of the free entry into Vancouver Art Gallery.
This also meant FREE entry to the Leonardo da Vinci: The Mechanics of Man exhibition, which to be honest, is what’s attracting massive crowds every day. A long wait to get in was well worth it, with scores of detailed anatomical drawings by da Vinci. It was amazing to learn how accurately he depicted the human body back in the 1500s.
Working my way up through the Visceral Bodies, Visions of British Columbia and CUE Artists’ Videos exhibits, I eventually reached the top floor. Expecting a promotional sea of pamphlets and pins, instead I found myself in a rainforest!
BC Pavilion was a wonderful interactive spectacle, split into different spaces. I smelled, touched and learnt about all kinds of West Coast wood, stepped over salmon runs (or rather films of them, projected onto the floor) and passed through a curtain of mist onto which a BC family shouting a cheery greeting was also projected (COOL!). Next door were animated games showing us how serious BC is about recycling and sustainability.
I got to sit on an electrically-powered Fuel Cell bus before finishing up in a room lit by neon poles and interactive screens showcasing BC’s love of nature, hockey and community spirit.
February 16, 2010 | 2010 Olympics >
Vancouver, Art Galleries & Artists
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Granville Island is pretty much Vancouver’s art capital, packed with galleries, pottery, gold and silversmith studios and even the prestigious Emily Carr University. Can it get much artier?
Thanks to a 2010 Winter Games exhibit, Portraits in the Street, yes it can. I’m in the bohemian Railspur Alley, gawping in wonder at a painting of hockey superstar Wayne Gretsky by none other than pop art maestro, ANDY WARHOL.
Twenty four framed photos and paintings of Canadian Olympians and Paralympians line a brick wall, making for a perfect sunny afternoon stroll. Others include a relaxed black & white shot of Canada’s most decorated ski racer, Nancy Greene Raine (now Director of Skiing at Sun Peaks resort).
Scary but impressive, is a masked close-up of legendary hockey player, Cassie Campbell, taken by Bryan Adams. Yes, musician BRYAN ADAMS.
February 16, 2010 | Tips from Us >
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One of my Olympic must-do activities was seeing the Leonardo DaVinci exhibit, “The Mechanics of Man”, at the Vancouver Art Gallery. On Sunday a colleague and I checked things out and although the line-up was long – we waited about 45 minutes – seeing the exhibit was worth it for me.
DaVinci’s anatomical drawings of the human body are incredibly detailed and beautifully etched. They are on yellowed sheets of paper, standard notebook size, and I was surprised to see how intact they actually were. I learned that some drawings have not been surpassed to date and others were the first-known accurate depictions (like his drawing of the spinal column). Pretty amazing stuff!
On every drawing DaVinci made cramped notes in Latin, which are written in his favored “mirror-style” way (ie: backwards). Each drawing had an accompanying description that explained which parts of the body we were looking at, his drawing techniques and methods, as well as other interesting information (such as how he made some discoveries two centuries before anyone else did).
Larger replicas of some drawings are placed on the walls and offer closer observation. Also splashed across the walls are random quotes by DaVinci. Overall, the exhibit was pretty amazing – I’m sure both biology nerds and art lovers will love it – and clearly very fitting for the Olympics!
February 15, 2010 | 2010 Olympics >
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In downtown Vancouver for some shopping at The Bay, and Pacific Centre mall, I took a stroll along Granville Street to see the Cultural Olympiad’s LunarFest. Different installations all link Canada culturally with Taiwan, starting off with the Lantern Forest. Steel trees support thousands of brightly-coloured lanterns that are designed by schoolchildren from both countries. At night they’re all lit up like big fireflies.
Next to the lanterns are sculptures called Love, Life and Light. Again these are transformed into neon brilliance at dusk. Brue Voyce’s mythical creation, ‘Confusion Fusion’ is made from recycled materials like pop bottles. And artist lu Ping-Cheng has built an elaborate umbilical cord, symbolically connecting Taiwan and Canada.
Further down the street, people are posing for photos inside sculptural cut-out shapes of Olympic skiers, skaters and boarders. I can’t resist.
February 01, 2010 | Tips from Us >
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Art’s popping up all over the place in Vancouver lately. Here are a few of my favorites:
A-Maze-ing Laughter: There are always people imitating these giant bronze sculptures’ poses while snapping pics. It’s so popular that the grass couldn’t handle the crowds and was recently replaced with bark mulch. A mystery fan even made Santa hats for the sculptures at Christmas.
Location: Corner of Davie and Denman, near English Bay
Monument for East Vancouver: It has people talking – isn’t that what art’s all about? A recognizable cross-shaped East Van symbol has been upgraded to giant public art status. Most impressive at night, when it’s lit up and tough to miss.
Location: At Clark and 6th Avenue
We, 2008: Nice in daytime, but incredible when darkness falls. That’s when it’s illuminated to create a glowing man made out of all the letters of the alphabet. It’s huge, too – step inside for a unique perspective (like my friend Jonathan Sparks did for the photo above).
Location: At Beach and Thurlow, near the Vancouver Aquatic Centre
Artificial Rock #143: Not everyone is a fan (I’ve heard it described as “God’s filling”), but I like it. It’s shiny, lumpy and outer-space-y, and contrasts with the straight lines of the downtown buildings.
Location: Corner of Granville and Georgia, near the Vancouver City Centre Canada Line station
Woodward’s W: Is this considered public art? It’s definitely a Vancouver icon – the neon Woodward’s W lit up the sky from 1944 to 1993, and now it’s back (with energy efficient bulbs).
Location: Woodward’s building, look up from Woodward's plaza near Abbott and Cordova
October 10, 2008 | Tips from Us >
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I had the opportunity to visit a very cool art gallery recently, located smack in the middle of Vancouver's downtown eastside..and it was well worth the visit. Centre A is Vancouver's International Centre for Contemporary Art and is located at the corner of Carrall Street and East Hastings. What is a real treat is that it is housed in one of the City's most important heritage buildings - the old BC Gas building that was where the interurban trains looped around before heading back out to the suburbs - this all many years ago of course. Now the building is home to some pretty edgy and thought-provoking Asian artwork. If you are visiting Gastown or Chinatown, or shopping at nearby Army & Navy, check out what they have to offer. But keep in mind that it is in one of the City's more colourful neighbourhoods. They are open Tuesday through Saturday.
June 07, 2008 | Tips from Us >
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I had the fortune of visiting the newly opened Bill Reid Gallery on Hornby Street the other night. (Its in the building that once housed the Canadian Craft Museum, next to Hy's Restaurant...its a bit tricky to find as it is located just up the stairs from the street ). Anyhow, I was really impressed with the incredible collection they had- prints, jewellery, boxes, huge carvings - I mean he did it all! I was also very impressed with what I learned about Bill Reid, the man, and about Haida culture in general. Its definitely worth checking out, especially if you are interested in First Nations art or the Haida culture, or if you are planning a trip to the Queen Charlotte Islands/Haida Gwaii.
March 08, 2007 | Tips from Travellers >
Vancouver, Art Galleries & Artists
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During our visit to Vancouver in January we were delighted to find strange and wonderful sculptures around the city as part of the Vancouver Sculpture Biennale. This one, Engagement, by Dennis Oppenheim, was our favourite. A pair of diamond engagement rings and a sunset - what more could a romantic desire!