Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the first Canadian monarch to rule over a united self-governing Dominion of Canada from 1867 to her death in 1901. After her death, Victoria Day as a federal holiday was made law and subsequently expanded to celebrate the official birthday of the Canadian Head of State. Usually the holiday falls on the last Monday preceding May 25, but this year, Victoria Day will happen on Queen Victoria’s actual birthday on May 24. So happy 202nd birthday Queenie! And for the rest of us, have a great Victoria Day weekend everyone!
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LiterAsian
Now until May 31
This year’s festival – GlobalAsian: from Grassroots to Globalization – features authors and cultural activists from not only Canada, but across the Asian diaspora. As “Asian” cannot easily be defined within geographical borders of one continent, but rather a conceptual collection of experiences and memories, LiterASIAN shines a spotlight that critically examines what it means to be a storyteller of Asian descent. Check out the LiterASIAN website for this year’s event schedule. Events are free, but registration is required.
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Digital Carnival Z
Now until June 5
Cinevolution’s annual flagship event, Digital Carnival Z is a festival of cutting-edge media art for community and artistic audiences of all ages. This year, for the first time, the event is taking place as a hybrid festival simultaneously on the traditional, unceded territories of the hǝn̓q̓ ǝmin̓ ǝm̓ speaking peoples (Richmond, B.C.) and online. Under the theme of Z, Digital Carnival explores alternative conceptions of the relationship between bodies, gestures, culture and society. Z references the gender-neutral pronoun ‘zie,’ the emergent generation-Z, and the possibilities for moving beyond the XX/XY binary. Join Cinevolution in exploring a series of dynamic projects and conversations that make visible alternative ways of occupying and performing the body, past, present and future.
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To Speak With a Golden Voice
Now until Sept. 6
The Bill Reid Gallery has extended its exhibition honouring the life and legacy of Canadian artist Bill Reid, ‘To Speak With a Golden Voice,’ until Sept. 6. The extension includes the addition of two new artworks – the Eagle and Beaver Pole (1980) by Haida carver Reg Davidson and an exquisitely carved cedar door, designed by Bill Reid and carved by James Hart in 1980 – as well as the anticipated commemorative book: Bill Reid, To Speak With a Golden Voice. If you haven’t yet checked out the exhibit, you have until Sept. 6 to do so!
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yellow objects
May 11–22
The Firehall Arts Centre will be hosting the world premiere of yellow objects, an exhibition created by playwright Derek Chan, from May 11 to May 22. The exhibition will take patrons through the theatre to the Firehall’s courtyard, and be limited to ten patrons per showing. The show invites us to question our responsibility to future generations by stepping into a Hong Kong of two eras – 2019 and 2050. Inspired by the ongoing pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong and the Chinese government’s oppressive enforcement of the National Security Law in July 2020, individuals can step into the world of yellow objects through the shoes of protagonists ‘Sandra Wong’ and ‘Uncle Chan’. Check out the arts centre website for more information.
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Listening Together Festival
May 14–18
Listening together has always been Music on Main’s deepest purpose, and continues to drive all that they do. The shared music and art experiences throughout the past year have become a beacon of light for human connection between listeners and creators. Celebrate Music on Main’s 15th season with great music, top-flight artists, and sounds you may have never heard before. Listen together, no matter where you are in the world, to five days of special online performances, artist talks and opportunities to learn about music. Check out the Music on Main’s website for more information.
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Big Form, Big Space
May 14–Aug. 22
The Contemporary Art Gallery will present the first solo exhibition in a public gallery in Canada by American artist Leon Polk Smith (1906–1996). Focusing on paintings and works on paper from the 1950s, the exhibition charts a critical moment in Smith’s artistic career in which the signature visual language of his work began to manifest, reflective both of prevalent trends of the time and an increasing engagement with the contexts of his upbringing and identity. Through almost forty works, the exhibition traces a period in which Smith initiated a move away from the Eurocentric impulses of his formative years to embrace and make plain connections to his rural upbringing in the American Southwest, his Indigenous heritage and his identity as a gay man. For more details, check out the gallery’s website.
