Art! Vancouver 2018

 

Art! Vancouver is an international art show that takes place in Vancouver, B.C. to showcase beautiful work from galleries and artists from Canada and all around the world. On April 19-22 of this year it held its 4th annual event at the Vancouver Convention Centre, and I was so honoured to be invited to attend! With its picturesque location and brilliant selection of art, this event — headed by local artist, Lisa Wolfin — is truly a must-see!

I honestly do not go to enough galleries and exhibits. I had been itching to plan a day to submerse myself in Vancouver’s art scene, so you can imagine my excitement when the opportunity to attend Art! Vancouver came up. This event is not your typical quiet and endless stretch of gallery walls… though that is great, too. No, this is — well — an event. Especially the Opening Night Premiere Party, which is held on the first evening of the art fair as a fun kickoff for the next few days ahead. I mean, really, it was a blast to attend. Opening Night had it all: attendees were dressed to the nines for an elegant evening of drinks, music and mingling, and browsing through the many displays of art that varied in format, shape and colour, among other things. Each piece was so bold and unique that when I came back a couple of days later, I was still so in awe of everything before me. I spent several hours at the event on both of the days that I attended, but I honestly think I could have come each of the four days and still have found something new and interesting about all of the pieces! As with all art, I think our interpretation of it can change, and this was really the case for me multiple times even for individual pieces. I made sure to make my way through the exhibit numerous times because I didn’t want to leave anything unseen; so, walking through and seeing each work more than once helped unearth more about the piece, or even alter what I understood about it previously. Maybe this is strange, but so much of my experience attending Art! Vancouver was influenced by the other attendees. I was captivated by not only the art, but also how everyone else was interacting with the pieces; and I think this was a factor in my re-understanding of them. A certain look, a tilt of the body, or a shifting gaze in order to take in everything from top to bottom — all of these actions of others made me re-evaluate what I saw in the pieces and at times would reveal something I missed. It felt kind of like re-reading an old book and uncovering an important part of the puzzle you had left misunderstood or had forgotten about. And with the amount of people there, it was a treat to see so many perspectives appreciating what the amazing artists had created.

 

 

One of my favourite parts of the night was the “Face of Art” Runway Show where artists strutted their pieces along a runway for the whole audience. This was one of the ways in which Art! Vancouver set itself apart for me because this was such an interactive way for the audience to connect with the artists and see the effort and pride they put into their work. During the runway show we got to learn more about each artist and I appreciate being able to put a story behind their work. Also, it really put into perspective how many people came out for Opening Night; I love any opportunity to cheer people on in a crowd setting — this really kept the party atmosphere going during the evening!

 

 

Apart from the fun first night, there was lots to see and do on the other three days. Live painting, art lessons, panel talks — you name it! I took a peek at the Art! Vancouver schedule and noticed that the Saturday would be the most jam-packed with activities, and oh goodness, am I glad I did that! There was lots happening on the stage throughout the day, and so much to stumble upon walking through the many displays. One of the coolest things was the live art; at several points throughout the length of the fair, some artists pulled up a canvas in front of their respective booths and began to paint! It was amazing to see them in their element creating such stunning pieces on the spot!

 

 

Keeping with the interactive theme of the 4-day event, there were also a few art classes that took place. I happened to be there for the class held by Kathy van Gogh in which she taught how to paint a sunset silhouette. I caught this workshop a little late so the participants had almost finished their masterpieces but it was so amazing to see the results. I can appreciate a good sunset. I mean, Vancouver gets some stunners year-round, so it was beautiful to see people creating that on a canvas. They looked so professional, I wish I’d come a little sooner to catch some tips!

 

 

One of the components I felt I got a lot from were the panel talks and individual speakers. Hearing artists talk about their background and motivation is not something we have the opportunity to do everyday. And having people from all over the globe do so was really something special! I heard the “Ignite Your Voice” panel talk featuring Alistair Henning, Ola Volo and Andrew Tavukciyan. It was great to be introduced to people creating such amazing work, and hearing how it connects with their ideas and global communities. One thing I’ll take away from this talk was a reference to Marshall McLuhan’s “the medium is the message”. My interpretation of what was said (by Alistair Henning, I believe) was that the influence of social media and technology is so great these days that there’s potential for it to affect how a message (such as art) is perceived. For example, we currently put so much weight on the tools we have (like expensive cameras, etc.) that the tools are what hold the importance in our minds, rather than the art. So, it got me thinking: are we — in fact — even producing art, or is it something else? Does it mean something else? Something different from the illusion we are trying to uphold about our “art”? This realization was one of those eye-opening moments for me that I haven’t really had in a while. A lot of what I do daily is on social media and to be reminded of this phrase was really valuable because with something so instant and all-consuming such as social media, it’s easy to forget to keep yourself, your ideas and your work in check.

 

 

Some speeches that I really connected with were by the daughters of Lisa Wolfin, Taisha Teal and Skyla Wayrynen! Both use striking colour and images in their art, and from what I understood by their talks was that they strive to use art to create positivity. Both Taisha and Skyla discussed the connection of art to one’s mental health and well-being, which is something I’m all for. As someone who loves photography and creating through cooking and baking, I love hearing about the use of art and creation as a way to practice wellness. It’s something that I believe can help get people through difficult times in a way like nothing else. I hope to hear more people talking about this in the near future!

 

 

Now, as for the art itself: what were some of my favourites? There were honestly too many to choose! So many of the pieces were thought-provoking, however a couple of them did stand out to me. First was the work by Fanny Tang. In my conversation with her, she described herself as a jellyfish, constantly moving without a set destination in mind. This idea mirrored the vibrancy of her art and style, and that really spoke to me. I loved the free-spirited nature of her art as it very easily brought a smile to my face! However, it wasn’t all cheerful; Fanny Tang’s display spoke to the harsh reality of the decay of the environment. Her use of materials was genius as she used plastics and packaging that are often littered into the ocean to create dead coral as a contrast to the surrounding colourful pieces hanging all over the wall. While at first I only noticed the liveliness of the bright colours, my mind just stopped for a few seconds when I realized the underlying message of the entire display.

 

 

One of my other favourites was the Tao Calligraphy display by Peter Hudoba. Tao Calligraphy is a one stroke calligraphy that can allow your mind to open and bring happiness and well-being to one’s life. Being that it is more of an experience I was asked not to photograph the display, and instead invited to walk into the respective area surrounded by the calligraphy. I am not lying when I say this: I felt a shift in frequency within an instant. My mind and body felt lighter, and everything seemed to go quieter; keep in mind that loud music was playing! This was a surreal moment, for sure. Peter Hudoba teaches Tao Calligraphy classes in Vancouver at the Master Sha Tao Centre, and I may just have to make a visit in order to understand it more!

 

With that said, it’s safe to say I’m still processing everything I experienced at Art! Vancouver a couple of weeks ago. One of my biggest takeaways is that, again, I haven’t explored enough art in “real life” and I hope to change that. Seeing so many beautiful pieces, especially 3-dimensional ones, made me realize that most of the art I’ve been consuming comes from the flat screen on my phone. By actually going out and making a day or evening of it, art can be experienced in a very tangible way. While images on a screen in your hand are beautiful — and require hours of effort on the part of the artist, no doubt — there is something to be said for a substantial and literal work of art existing before you. You are presented with a different dimension of emotion and understanding. Something I’ve been thinking about is how the understanding we get from art on social media can be influenced by captions and comments. In a gallery space, there’s no way for people to scribble their opinions below the art. Instead, you are allowed the opportunity to create your own personal connection with whatever ideas it brings to your mind. With an event like Art! Vancouver I am so happy to have had the experience to connect with art from all over the globe and find meaning in how others are living and seeing the world today. I left with a renewed appreciation of many things, art being just one of them. If you missed your chance to attend this year, or want to come back again to see what Art! Vancouver 2019 has in store check this out for what’s ahead! In the meantime, here are lots of photographs from their 2018 event below, enjoy!

 

Opening Night Premiere Party – Thursday, April 19th

 

 

Saturday – April 21st