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Provoking thoughtful commentary from readers on social issues can create barriers with just the use of words. Political cartoons – often witty, at times graphic, but never dull – transcend such barriers to inform and even sway public opinion through a captioned pictorial representation of underlying attitudes and emotions. In the past, political cartoons have…
Every year, Iranians and Central Asians living all over the world celebrate Yalda Night, an ancient tradition marking the passing of the longest night of the year. This holiday originated when most people in Iran were practicing Zoroastrianism, an ancient Iranian religion that existed centuries before Islam. On Dec. 21 in Port Moody, the Tri-City…
Philip Gensaya, a pupil of Contra-Mestre Barrãozinho teaches capoeira, a Brazilian martial art, in Richmond. He’s been spreading his teachings throughout the city for about four years. His students not only learn how to fight, but also how to play musical instruments and dance to the rhythm of Afro-Brazilian music. Capoeira, a martial art that…
The number of toes on a dragon, the modern evolution of saris, the importance of colour, where khakis came from –Richmond Museum’s latest exhibit Interwoven World (Identity and Fashion) takes guests on a whirlwind fashion history tour. At the end of the short journey, a floor-to-ceiling mirror offers a look at how clothing and where…
Ai Weiwei’s work is here in Vancouver. The world-renowned artist is among 10 prominent Chinese artists whose recent works have been brought together in an exhibition at the Vancouver Art Gallery. The exhibition, Unscrolled: Reframing Tradition in Chinese Contemporary Art, aims to draw attention away from the activist aspects of the art and more towards…
True to its mandate to display work that examines the relationship between contemporary art theory and practice, Artspeak, a non-profit artist run centre in Vancouver, is currently featuring Seurat and Friends, an exhibit which comments on the complex dynamic between art and labour. Georges-Pierre Seurat was a seminal French post-impressionist painter whose signature pointilist method…
The Synchronous Handbell Choir, directed by 20-year-old UBC music student Imran Amarshi, will present a program of Christmas favourites at the Vancouver Art Gallery. The concert is part of the longstanding Out for Lunch concert series, which has entertained Vancouver audiences for many decades. The concert, which will consist mainly of carols, gives the audience…
Japanese artist Shimabuku is remarkably curious. And through his highly imaginative artistic practice, he makes the familiar and mundane seem fascinating, humorous and strange. For Shimabuku, it is most important that his audience receives something positive from his work and experiences it freely. “My art is not about understanding. I’m not asking people to understand…
Interweavings, an exhibition at the Richmond Art Gallery, explores the importance of mentoring and tradition in contemporary First Nations art. The exhibit presents approximately 30 works by seven emerging artists who have received the YVR Art Foundation Youth Scholarship, alongside works by their mentors, internationally acclaimed First Nations artists. It highlights the significance of mentoring…
Coastal City Ballet (CCB) will open its 2014-2015 season with Don Quixote’s Dream and Mixed Repertoire, a creatively diverse performance that is a testament to the uniqueness of CCB’s artistic vision. The versatility of the program is also a symbol of the company’s commitment to keeping ballet alive on the Vancouver dance scene – a…
Katari Taiko, the first taiko drum group to be formed in Canada, will celebrate its 35th anniversary with a concert which will include a collaborative work with some of the other Tiako groups which have come into existence in their wake. The theme of the work will be the return of the salmon, which is…
Although Vancouver-based artists Kelly Gough and Osvaldo Ramirez Castillo have contrasting histories and artistic practices, they share common ground. Gallery Gachet’s current exhibition, Coalescence: A Body of Memories, brings together the unique, yet connected, narratives of these two artists as they explore issues surrounding war, violence and the effects of trauma. Kristin Lantz, Gallery Gachet’s…
While some artists approach art merely conceptually, literally or spontaneously, Tomoyo Ihaya, an internationally renowned artist, blends many approaches. Her primary source of inspiration comes from direct experience, and that is precisely why she has been a resident artist in several different countries. Experience brings her the kind of passion she needs in order to…
