Here we view the reconstruction of the Vancouver Art Gallery’s (VAG’s) membrane on Georgia St. It is part of the on-going maintenance we have seen around other parts of the gallery, as well as Robson Square and Vancouver’s Provincial Courthouse. As the signs around the outside of the gallery indicate, this work will most importantly provide waterproofing, as well as repairs to the main stairs. A new plaza will be redeveloped with replacement trees, new landscaping and will continue to provide space as a gathering place for future events, including its prominent role as a central location for protests of all kinds.
How Do I Fit This Ghost in My Mouth? (May 30–September 7, 2015) was an exhibition at the gallery by internationally renown Vancouver artist Geoffrey Farmer. His exhibition featured 6 major installations surveying his 15-year career. The installations employ archival images and objects sculpted in fantastic ways incorporating text, music and movement. They draw from pop culture, literature and art and the artist’s personal history. Farmer’s work illustrates the multiplicity and multi-facetness of art. Through his work, he explores the relevance of time and space and uses combinations of past and future elements in this exploration.
Farmer is fascinated by archives and appreciates their significance for artistic use and research. Part of his exhibition was a small room, which served as a tribute to archival storage. The VAG itself houses over 5,000 artist files, mostly paper-based. These include books, brochures, CD’s, newspaper and journal clippings, photos, press releases, resumes and much more. Some date back to the 1930’s. The VAG also houses a permanent collection of more than 10,000 artworks by local and international artists. Due to space restrictions, approximately only 3% of the collection is on view.
So where is all this collection of archival material and artworks? It’s below the membrane that’s being repaired to prevent any damage to these invaluable works. Staff refer to this area as “the catacombs” and Farmer made it part of his exhibit. There were small tours that included some of his artwork and narratives of the building’s history. The site of the current VAG was formerly the Vancouver Law Courts which opened in 1911 and were still functioning in 1979. The old courthouse was renovated by Arthur Erickson and reopened as the Vancouver Art Gallery in 1983. Farmer’s father worked in the old courthouse which allowed Geoffrey Farmer to visit the area of the catacombs as a child. Although these catacombs don’t house the dead, they serve as records of past artists and in their manner bring the past to the present and await future possibilities. They are as substantive as the work displayed above in the main galleries.
Given the above space restrictions, the VAG, under director Kathleen Bartels has fought for over a decade for a new art gallery that would substantially increase its size.
In April 2013, Vancouver City Council voted unanimously to designate the new site to be located at West Georgia and Cambie Streets.
From the VAG website: “The new Vancouver Art Gallery will be a purpose-built art museum that creates and strengthens links between artists, contemporary and historical art, and diverse communities throughout the city, province and around the world. The Gallery will tie the past to the present, make visible Vancouver’s connections to other places in the world, and enhance Vancouver’s reputation as one of the most important international centres for contemporary art production.” And it will “strive to become one of the most environmentally sustainable art museums in Canada.”
On September 29, 2015, there will be a public unveiling of the concept design for the new VAG by the architectural firm Herzog & de Meuron at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre.
