Welcome to February – one month down in the new year, 11 more to go! Some of the celebratory events happening this month include Family Day, Valentine’s Day and Black History Month. Check out some of the events and activities below, but otherwise stay at home if you are feeling unwell and keep warm during these winter months!
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African Descent Heritage Month 2022
Feb. 2–28
www.adsbc.org/african-descent-heritage-month
The African Descent Society of B.C. has a full schedule of events planned for this month. Past events have included school presentations, walking tours, live performances and heritage discussions. There will be live music at the Vancouver Art Gallery, panel discussions at UBC and workshops, panel lectures and fashion shows at libraries, neighbourhood houses and other locations around the city. For more information, check out the society’s website.
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Ma Miaeem va Miravim (We Come and Go)
Feb. 3–March 21
The North Van Arts group is sponsoring visual artist Mehran Modarres-Sadeghi’s Ma Miaeem va Miravim (We Come and Go), an artist book and a series of drawings which translates the artist’s first-grade English book, We Come and Go, from the Dick and Jane series into Persian-English, in which Persian words are written using the Roman alphabet. The phrase ‘Ma Miaeem va Miravim’ in the title is a translation of ‘We Come and Go’ in Persian-English. The coloured illustrations from the children’s book are also reproduced in black and white with some thematic changes and translations. This work poses questions about the preservation of the Persian language amongst generations of Iranian immigrants living in North America and about the importance of preserving one’s mother tongue amongst future generations of immigrants while also drawing attention to the role of English as a dominant language of globalization and its impacts on other cultures.
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Dan Starling: Unsettled Histories
Feb. 4–April 17
The Burnaby Art Gallery will present an exhibition by Vancouver-based artist Dan Starling, which takes as its starting point Rembrandt’s renowned work Christ Crucified Between Two Thieves: The Three Crosses (1653). Unsettled Histories uses printmaking to realign the timelessness of Rembrandt’s original with the timeliness of contemporary socio-political struggle in the settler-colonial context of Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories. Western art history is typically presented as timeless and unchanging. By moving Rembrandt’s work through a process of erasure and superimposition, Starling aims to highlight the instability of occupation. For more information, check out the Burnaby Art Gallery’s website.
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Sea Sick
Feb. 9–19
Sea Sick is a critically acclaimed production about climate change, and the state of the global ocean, which has toured Canada and the world. Experience this powerful story in which Canadian journalist and author Alanna Mitchell uses science and delicate wit to tell us about her journey to the bottom of the ocean, the demons she discovered there and her hope for the future. Check out The Cultch’s website for tickets and more information.
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Inherit
Feb. 12–April 24
www.evergreenculturalcentre.ca
The word “inherit” often conjures an object of great value passed down through generations. But what does it mean to inherit the intangible? How do our bodies carry intergenerational memory and story? What do we choose to remember or forget? Through video, installation and photography – a pervasive medium with an innate connection to time – the artists in Inherit revisit, revise and reenact familial histories and archives to grapple with loss, longing and identity. For more information, check out the Evergreen Cultural Centre’s website.
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Cavalleria Rusticana in Concert
Feb. 12–13
This beloved masterpiece, Cavalleria Rusticana in Concert, delivers intense passion, memorable music and incredible arias. This one-act opera, performed live and in concert, welcomes back Music Director Emeritus Jonathan Darlington to conduct the Vancouver Opera Orchestra and Chorus. Sung in Italian with English Surtitles. Please visit the Vancouver Opera website for tickets and more information.
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An Evening with Dr. Cornel West: Being a Hope amid Crises
Feb. 16, 5 p.m.
www.facebook.com/events/268016608732749
The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives and the B.C. Black History Awareness Society will be co-presenting a free online event with American philosopher Cornel West. Amid escalating crises and long-standing injustices, West calls on people to understand hope not as wishful thinking or blind optimism – but as something we embody through action and struggle. In a recent Vox interview, he said, “Hope is about everybody trying to contribute to the push, the motion, the momentum, the movement for something bigger than them that’s better. The good, the beautiful. If you’re not in motion, you’re a spectator.”
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Into the Light
Feb. 18–20
Into the Light is an all ages, immersive, walk-through experience; bringing a unique approach to Lunar New Year, a holiday celebrated by many in the community. Several of the rituals and customs practiced today during Lunar New Year, such as wearing the colour red, are said to have originated from the ancient tale of Nian (年). According to legend, on the eve of Lunar New Year, the sea-monster Nian came out of hiding, terrorizing villages for food and the villagers worked together to ward off the dark monster with lanterns, loud noises and bright light. Created by Hong-Kong-born, Vancouver-based multidisciplinary artist, Stephanie Wong, and award-winning Richmond-based artist, Marina Szijarto, the Gateway Theatre invites you to be immersed inside the tale of Nian and embark on a journey through the darkness and fear, into celebration and light.
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KDocsFF 2022
Feb. 18–27
The Kwantlen Polytechnic University Documentary Film Festival returns in an online format in 2022. The theme is “Seeking Truth. Waging Change.” and it will be held online, Feb. 18-27. The film festival will showcase over 20 award-winning documentary films, filmmakers, film subjects, special presentations, keynote speakers, panel discussions/q&as and more! For a complete list of films, showtimes and more information, check out the film festival’s website.
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Vancouver Fan Expo 2022
Feb. 19–21
www.fanexpohq.com/fanexpovancouver
Everyone is a fan of something, and Fan Expo Vancouver, happening on Family Day weekend, is a place to celebrate all things pop culture. Get an autograph or a photo with your favourite Guest then get the inside scoop about your favourite movies and TV shows at the celebrity panels! Watch professional comic artists battle it out in popular Sketch Duels, learn from “How To” workshops and take photos with your favourite costumed characters! It’s also a great place to buy a unique gift (or treat yourself!) with a huge show floor for shopping madness.
