This is an amazing place for exploration. There are many handmade arts made by local artists…read more Prices varies depending on the quality of work. The most interesting I saw are made by a local artist but I'm sorry I completely forgot her name from my memory. But here are some photos. Feel free to walk around and touch the rocks or look at them very closely with the magnifying glasses.

I walked past this place nearly everyday for a year not realizing it was an art gallery. Tucked…read moreaway behind an auto showroom is a gallery that showcases two-dimensional artworks. Done in a range of media, the aesthetic is a bit more conservative than some of the new progressive galleries that have propped up as of late. The style is very much geared towards a more corporate environment and aesthetic: accessible colours, unobtrusive patterns, pleasing forms. Disconnecting it from other traditional exhibition spaces is that Trunk Gallery makes no secret of the fact that it is a retail space. Spaces generally try and alter the way your mind works, the way things are viewed. Here, though, artwork is pitted alongside cars, putting them on equal retail playing ground.

The content in this store is amazing. The material range is exceptionally wide. I would recommend…read morestepping in! On top of the great books, the gallery hold amazing work. Conceptual, abstract, and literal interpretations which address real content. I love that they didn't shy away from new works. So many galleries go for the cliché.

Big gallery with featured works, therefore, recommend to check semi frequently. Great friendly host.read more

If you like getting creative, learning new skills and connecting to creative community Enabling…read moreArts is a lovely find, on a nice street with other trendy venues and shops to check out and bookmark for fun upcoming events. They also have unique journals, zines, and gifts to peruse.

This place is a hidden gem and a bright spot in the DTES. Helping local artisans sell their wares…read moreand make a living. They have various books, crafts and even artisanal ghee! It is worth the trek into this part of town to see this unique store.

* Small but some nice and reasonably price selection *…read more On the lower level of Artisan Square this little gallery shop could be easy to miss. But it has a nice selection of pottery created by local artists on Bowen Island. The variety (and quality) is diverse. But there were some very nice little plates that would be perfect for presenting small items like a piece or two of sushi. There were also some nice cups and mugs. And everything was very reasonably priced to boot!

The first time I came here was in 2001 and a sculpture literally brought me to a stop. I was in a…read morehurry but HAD to see more. I often drop in when on Granville Island and now always include it in the list I give to visiting friends. The gallery holds the art of Peter Kiss and Tanya Gleave. Peter's art is often tongue-in-cheek which perhaps makes the subtly biting social commentary, more generally palatable. Usually in the form of people, animals, zany birdhouses or 2-D sculpture. Tanya's art is heavy on the feels. I wish I had a picture of a piece that has always stayed with me but I didn't know it would have that effect until the following days when the image wouldn't leave me. The gallery is light and airy and the reception is welcoming. Private commissions are an option. Monday's it's closed and it doesn't open till 10:30 a.m. I mention this as I have sometimes been disappointed to find the door darkened :)

We literally just wandered into the Peter Kiss Gallery from the street, drawn in by the whimsical,…read morefor lack of a better word, carvings and sculptures within. They are mostly large in size, folk art in style, and usually based on a humorous twist on a theme or an idea. For example, a group of figures encased in a wood block is titled "Stuck in Another Committee." From what I understand of Peter Kiss's artist's bio, he once trained as a wildlife zoologist. Salmon are a common motif, and one of my favourite pieces in the gallery was a beaver that has a goofy smile on its face and reaches out as if begging for a hug - it's titled "How about a Kiss?" Though I have little money in my personal art budget, I really enjoyed visiting this two-level gallery of work with a little tongue in cheek on Railspur Alley.

On the Georgia Street side of the Vancouver Art Gallery, in the public square now named šxnq…read moreXwtl'e7énk Square, there's an amazing annual event held every early- to mid-September entitled "Façade Fest". In the two years I've lived here, I've been to this event twice. Last year I went 3 or 4 times, and this year, twice. It's free to go and, wow, I can't recommend it enough. Encompassing 7-8 nights, this event showcases two artists a night, and the last night or two of the festival, they show ALL the featured artists' works, one after the other. What type of art are we talking about here? It's known as 'projection mapping' whereby artists' visions are projected onto the museum's façade. It's a colorful, animated, large-scale work of art - often with accompanying music, - and depending on the featured artist, it might be contemporary, abstract, literal or realistic, paintings come to life, photographs, video clips, prismatic color works, cartoons or mixed media digital images - the possibilities of art forms are truly endless. Last year (my first year here in Van), there was a featured artist whose light display works featured video clips of the Stanley Cup riots, and I learned so much from that installation (I had not known about that history before), along with some stunning, colorful light works by other artists. Last night there was a featured work by an artist about the Birtle Indian Residential School and the forced assimilation of Aboriginal children in this country - another subject I'm not that familiar about, but after seeing the feature, I came home to research this topic. I guess what I'm saying here is, for me personally, this type of immersive, public art installation is not only aesthetically enjoyable and beautiful in parts, but also educational, inspiring, at times disturbing and unpleasant, and often thought-provoking. In short, for me, it's everything a successful art installation SHOULD be. I strongly encourage you to click on the link to the festival's webpage to see photos of some of the artwork projected on the museum building. You can get an idea how stunning it is. But to truly appreciate its impact, one really must see it in person, with the images morphing and moving, and the music and sounds accompanying the images. This downtown square has chairs and seating features, but most people sit on the ground. There are also some vendors present, if you want to purchase a soda or snack.

Last month I went to New Media Gallery to see their newest exhibit, "Master", which was scheduled…read moreto run from September 14 to December 1, 2024. The exhibit consisted of eight works by six artists, all of which paid tribute to Alfred Hitchcock. The works on display were: -Sliced Classics by J Tobias Anderson (2003 - 2024, Sweden) -De Mortuis by Lee Henderson (2011, Canada) -Übermensch by Scott Billings (2018, Canada) -Psychedelic Lock by Daniele Puppi (2016, Italy) -4 Vertigo by Les LeVeque (2000, USA) -Prediction by Gregory Chatonsky (2015, Canada/France) -Vertigo@home by Gregory Chatonsky (2015, Canada/France) -The Kiss 3: The Recursive Cinema by Gregory Chatonsky (2022, Canada/France) "Sliced Classics" consisted of eight screens, each screen displaying the sliced edges from various scenes of a Hitchcock movie. "De Mortuis" were clips from the "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" edited so that it appeared as if Alfred Hitchcock were delivering a speech about TV and human mortality. It was shown on an old-fashioned television, but unfortunately I couldn't make out what was being said due to all the sound from the other exhibits. "Übermensch" was about Hitchcock's movie "Rope" (which I hadn't heard of). The movie takes places in one room, and the room depicted in the movie was made into a mini 3D model which is rotated on a robotic arm and projected onto a screen. The meaning behind this piece was beyond my intellect. "Psychedelic Lock" consisted of two screens, side by side, showing the movie "Psycho". One screen played the original 1960 version and the other played the 1998 remake. Both films were playing simultaneously and the screens bounced back and forth between each one. The exhibit was near the gallery's emergency exit, and the curator explained that the artist intended it to be near an exit for some reason -- the exit sign and door was part of the art. "4 Vertigo" were clips from the movie "Vertigo" sped up, flipped around, and superimposed on each other, giving the sense of.... you guessed it, vertigo. "Prediction" showed scenes from the movie Vertigo, and as the movie played, a computer tried to predict the emotions of the actors on the screen. On the screen were a list of emotions (anger, disgust, fear, happy, sad, surprise, neutral) and in real time a number, indicating the likeliness of that emotion, changed, depending on the actors' expressions. "Vertigo@home" shows a 2015 Google street view of the route taken in Vertigo. (I haven't seen the film but there is a scene where a man in a car is following a woman.) "The Kiss 3: The Recursive Cinema" is the film Vertigo being run through AI, with the famous kissing scene being featured. Unfortunately, on Monday December 2, I received an email from New Media Gallery saying that after ten years, the curators are moving on and the gallery is closing for good. They extended the exhibit until today, Saturday December 7, and from 3 to 6pm they are having a farewell event. I will be sad to see New Media Gallery close, and I wish Sarah and Gordon, the curators, all the best. [Yelp collections: Museums and Art Galleries; Cheap Thrills; Being a tourist in my own city]

Thank you to the lovely Jasmine A. who has been talking up New Media Gallery for weeks and then…read morebringing me here to see the exhibit. New Media features contemporary art and the exhibits rotate (sometimes quite literally!) and are here for a short time and then onwards. We were here in October and got to see "Measure" which is all about the movement of day into night, the cycles of the Sun and moon, the rotation of the Earth and the tools we use to measure time. Sadly, this exhibit ends on December 10 2023. Something new and exciting will follow. The Earth Spin Orbit piece was pretty clever as the laser follows the Moon around the Earth. The Time Dilation artwork was hypnotizing to watch the rotation. And I watched more than one cycle of Semiconductor as it followed the Sun rising and setting. Don't miss New Media Gallery. This is a great art and culture. [Review 20888 overall - 64 in British Columbia - 1872 of 2023.]