Hip-hop in the digital age

Curated by Mark V. Campbell, Still Tho: Aesthetic Survival in Hip-Hop’s Visual Art, an exhibition presented by the Canada Council for the Arts features artwork by 13 cross disciplinary artists from across the country, including from First Nations, Métis, and racialized communities. Still Tho features the work of visual artists from across Canada and beyond whose creativity…

Sharing stories, down the generations

Tsimshian artist and storyteller Roy Henry Vickers weaves a beautiful and simplistic tale inspired by his childhood in the Indigenous village of Kitkatla through Ben the Sea Lion, a children’s picture book that will also delight any age group. “My childhood outside of school was connected to nature. My work has always been influenced by…

An experiment in optimism

The importance of valuing young people, by addressing their hidden fears, is an idea Valerie Methot, executive director at Some Assembly Theatre company, supports. Methot, who overcame being an at-risk youth herself, presents the play The Wait List Experiment because she knows even today youth are not being taken seriously. “We’re all unique individuals and we all…

Lampedusa – Fable or Truth?

Denise and Stefano live parallel lives as they are forced to sacrifice human qualities to survive in a place that is controlled by the one per cent. The characters in Lampedusa create a friendship with a perceived ‘outsider’ which leads to their salvation in a sense. Lampedusa is a play produced by the Pi Theatre and directed by…

SuperNova – Intergalactic personas and character studies to discuss and provoke the authenticity of culture

Hosted by the grunt gallery, Canadian-Iranian visual artist Rah’s new show suggests discussions that, acting as parody, essentialize qualities that validate ethnicized and racialized experiences in contemporary cultures. Throughout April, the grunt gallery hosts SuperNova, a new exhibition by Canadian-Iranian exilic and diasporic artist Rah. The show, curated by Vanessa Kwan and Whess Harman, is…

Bad Parents A modern take on parenting

Parenting is like figuring out a puzzle in the play Bad Parents, says performers Raugi Yu and Josette Jorge. Bad Parents reveals the real story of parenting and does not hide behind rose colored glasses like other portrayals in vAct’s presentation at the Cultch Historic Theatre, Apr. 21–May 1. “Always be kind. No matter what is happening or…

Skoden’s beacon of reconciliation

For three days, the Skoden Indigenous Film Festival (SIFF) will be celebrating Indigenous filmmakers across Canada while also promoting SFU’s interests in diversity and reconciliation. It will also feature Indigenous cultural traditions including a welcome ceremony and witness. Skoden is a slang term which means “let’s go then!” The film festival was founded in 2019…

White Noise: a dinner to remember

What kind of stories are people drawn to? Are they ones about hope, change, spiritual connections? Or are they the kind that make people laugh out loud or hold their head in between their hands asthey cringe? Taran Kootenhayoo’s White Noise is all of these things. “All of the stories that I tell are those on the…

Official languages support remains high across Canada

A strong majority of Canadians, from findings of a recent public opinion survey, agree official languages and other forms of diversity can go hand in hand, and can even strengthen each other. Raymond Théberge, the Commissioner of Official Languages, released the data from the survey on official languages February 24, 2022, indicating 87 per cent…

Seeing through adversity

With humour, wit and a talent for storytelling, Canadian multidisciplinary artist Stéphanie Morin-Robert highlights her struggles of growing up with a disability in her award-winning one-woman show Blindside. The show will be held in the evening of March 3 on Centre Stage at Surrey City Hall where audience members will be able to laugh along…