Vancouver’s art scene is ramping up! Tons of interesting exhibitions and displays are on the go. Even though the Vancouver Art Gallery is showcasing incredible work this year, a few small-scale galleries spread out across the city are definitely worth checking out.
A detour to any of galleries listed below is the perfect activity for a rainy Vancouver day. Not only will the galleries allow you to gain new perspectives on local art but will enable a real feel for the communities they are located in.
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Art Galleries in Vancouver
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Grunt Gallery
- 350 E 2nd Ave
Explore Canada’s diversity at Grunt Gallery. This artist run centre founded in 1984 specializes in contemporary art. Not only does it offer performances, artist talks, exhibitions and community projects but displays provocative, innovative and collaborative creations. The gallery is featuring the performance series of Guatemalan-Canadian artist, Naufus Ramirez Figueroa called “Requiem for Mirrors and Tigers” in early April.
Centre A
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- 268 Keefer Street
Located at the heart of Chinatown, Centre A Gallery addresses questions related to Asia-Canada relations and Asian diasporic perspectives. The gallery is active in sparking dialogue within the community, and uses art to communicate new ideas and the fresh perspectives of local artists. Fully equipped with a reading room, Centre A guests can also hang back and indulge in a large collection of Asian art books!
Equinox Gallery
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- 525 Great Northern Way
Equinox Gallery is located in a warehouse-like space near Main Street in Vancouver. The gallery’s white walls and high ceilings lend themselves well to the constantly changing exhibitions. In addition to beautiful displays, Equinox Gallery has an established reputation across the globe. It is known to artists, enthusiasts, critics and collectors on both a local and international scale.
GAM Gallery
- 110 E Hastings Street
Gam Gallery is a contemporary art gallery, studio space and boutique located in Vancouver’s Downtown East Side. Since it is located in such a unique area, the displays reflect the DTES artistic community. GAM is a great starting point for emerging local artists who want to exhibit their creations and make lasting connections with others. Be sure to keep an eye on their Instagram page for current exhibitions and events!
LeSoleil Fine Art Gallery
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- 100-535 Howe Street
LeSoleil Gallery offers fine art collections including original paintings and sculptures by French Impressionists such as Pablo Picasso, Pierre Auguste Renoir and Vincent van Gogh. The gallery also displays the artwork of established modern artists such as Johanan Herson, Elena Yampolsky and Shai Mandel.
South Main Gallery
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- 279 E 6th Ave
South Main Gallery focuses on contemporary art and displays creations belonging to emerging, mid-career and established artists. Known as SoMa to the local community, it is continuously growing and developing alongside the proliferation of new businesses, breweries and other galleries. As part of the social, cultural and culinary hub it is located in, South Main Gallery is currently featuring David Tycho’s exhibition titled “Fire and Rain: A Journey to Extremes” until April 3rd.
Elan Fine Art Limited
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- 258 E 1st Ave Unit 4
Elan Fine Art displays historical and contemporary art of quality for art enthusiasts living across Metro Vancouver. In addition to offering artist representation, consignment, selling and consultation services, the gallery displays artwork in all its forms including mixed media, paintings, drawing, prints and sculpture. Select works from Canadian artists, American artists and international artists are currently on display.
Artspeak Gallery
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- 233 Carrall Street
Artspeak is an artist-run centre that uses visual art and writing to encourage ongoing dialogue between artists and the community. It supports many artists and writers from the West Coast, and encourages them to produce innovative, boundary-pushing work. The Gallery’s current installation is called “In The Meantime.” It focuses on the process of translation as something that is both social and collaborative.
Contemporary Art Gallery
- 555 Nelson Street
CAG gallery exhibits various forms of contemporary art and partakes in research. Each year, it showcases ten to twenty off-site projects. Most importantly, the gallery makes contemporary art accessible to all by providing a wide range of public learning programs for children, adults and families. From now until March 25th CAG is displaying the weaved creations of local-artist Brent Wadden called Two Scores.
UNIT/PITT Project
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- 236 E Pender Street
Not only is UNIT/PITT Projects an art gallery but is also a platform for artists’ to experiment with public actions, performances, music, art, media and publishing. Furthermore, it promotes art that addresses and provides commentary on social, cultural and political issues. Past exhibitions and event themes have included fascism in the Trump administration, self-love, displacement and cultural identity.
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