Art shows two kinds of life: virtual and physical

Ying Tan, a Canadian curator, makes her debut showcasing Indonesian art collective Tromarama’s Amphibia exhibition at Centre A from Sept. 8 to Oct. 14. Febie Babyrose, Herbert Hans and Ruddy Hatumena created Tromarama in Indonesia through the ‘Video After School’ music video workshop. The competition required its participants to create a music video for a…

Polish festival celebrates fifth year

Organizers hope people will learn more about Polish culture, history and modern day Poland at the Fifth Annual Polish Festival, taking place at Lynn Valley Village on Sept. 3. According to the 2011 Statistics Canada Census profile there are 17,460 people of Polish descent in British Columbia. “The [Polish] community has so much to offer.…

A gathering for good causes at Taiwan Fest

As the month of September approaches, Vancouver being the diversified city that it is, is offering wondrous cultural activities for Canadians to connect with their roots. For Taiwan Fest (Sept. 2–4) it is a special occasion to reconnect with the essence of Asian heritage. Eddy Kuo, executive assistant of Taiwan Fest, says the festival had,…

A system in transformation: Aileen Bahmanipour’s Technical Problem

Aileen Bahmanipour, a young visual artist with Persian origins, presents her work in the upcoming exhibition, Technical Problem, at the Vancouver grunt gallery from Sept. 8– Oct. 14. Known for her meticulous artwork and having once made paper from human hair for an exhibition in the Banff Centre for the Arts, Bahmanipour is displaying a mixture…

Artists re-examine historical objects in new exhibition

The Richmond Art Gallery will be presenting the Eternal Return exhibition, which centres on artifacts from the Richmond Museum’s Migration Collection. Curated by Sunshine Frère, the exhibit will examine historical objects from a new perspective. The exhibition runs Sept. 10–Nov. 19. The cyclical nature of objects According to Frère, the Migration Collection has over 2000…

Bombay Black

In a Bombay apartment by the sea, a young woman dances seductively. In a dark corner of the room a blind man sits, watching her. This image, accompanied by the question Why would a blind man pay to watch someone dance? intrigued Indian-Canadian playwright Anosh Irani into writing Bombay Black. The play, which runs Sept.…

Syrian queer refugees host a party

In what is being called a first to Danny Ramadan, the queer former Syrian refugee is breaking the ice by inviting Tayybeh: A Celebration of Syrian Cuisine, a group of Syrian refugee women who host pop-up cultural dinners, to An Evening in Damascus: A Fundraiser for Queer Syrian Refugees. The result comes as a surprise.…

Future wishes for Canada

To commemorate Canada’s 150th anniversary, one organization is collecting wishes across the country – wishes for the next 150 years. Vancouver’s Yaletown Roundhouse will feature some of these wishes from Aug. 1 to 4, 2017. Taking It Global has put together Explore150, which highlights the relevance of Canadian culture and history and provides an opportunity…

Thai Festival: Celebrating culture and diplomacy

The 4th Thai Festival will be held on July 22–23 at the North Plaza of the Vancouver Art Gallery. The festival is presented by the Royal Thai General-Consulate in Vancouver and features Thai live performances, culinary demonstrations and crafts workshops. Food and refreshments from local Thai restaurants will also be available. Admission to the festival…

Multimedia contemporary artist aims to inspire

Kwakwee Baker, new age free style artist, will be auctioning his paintings July 29 to raise money for his son’s lacrosse trip and make room for his next collection.  Baker’s original designs were paintings, carvings and drawings. His art evolved to 3D sculptures, polygrams, graphic designs and interactive designs where the viewer can be a…

A watercolourist’s search for peace through her art

“I came to Canada in 2009. It was so beautiful. I couldn’t stop thinking about the beauty of nature; it brings me peace and happiness,” says Iranian-Canadian realist painter Afsaneh Roudgar on her source of artistic inspiration. Roudgar was selected by a committee of community members at the Leigh Square Community Arts Village in Port…

Nomadic Tempest: a Climatopian rock opera

This summer the Caravan Stage Company sails into Vancouver (Aug. 15–Sept. 3) on their one of a kind 90-foot Theatre Ship. Their current show, Nomadic Tempest, explores a future world where climate change has caused environmental catastrophe across the planet, using original music, aerial artistry, and projections to captivate its audiences. Nomadic Tempest is an original –…

A home abroad: Latin American presence in B.C.

Roots and Ties: 150 Years of Canadian and Latin History will be held on June 30. The event takes place at the Waterfront Theatre on Granville Island in conjunction with Carnaval del Sol’s Latin American Week which runs from June 30–July 9. Admission to Roots and Ties is free. “We are a very young group…