Upcoming Events
Open Studios with Through A BIPOC Lens Award Winner Chad Wong
Meet artist-in-residence Chad Wong at Griffin’s residency space to view the featured Capture Festival exhibition I live here!, and attend our Open Studios to learn about the research of Paris-Vancouver Curatorial Program resident Lucie Camous
Intersecting Orbits: Michael Morris and Joan Balzar exhibition tour in Farsi
Join Griffin’s Assistant Curator of Engagement Bahar Mohazabnia in person for an exhibition tour of Intersecting Orbits: Michael Morris and Joan Balzar in Farsi.
The Prop House: Collection of One Million Objects Opening Reception (in-person)
Image: Jason Payne/Vancouver Sun
Join us at Griffin Art Projects the opening reception of The Prop House: A Collection of One Million Objects!
The Prop House: A Collection of Over One Million Objects explores the objects housed in the collection of Mount Pleasant Furniture (MPF). MPF has been a prop house wonderland for the film, television, stage and art communities for decades. The Prop House offers an opportunity to celebrate and explore this extraordinary collection with the public for the first time. The objects were sourced everywhere, from second hand stores to garage to estate sales deepening in complexity and materiality. In turn, this archive has been returned to the world as objects of imagination, inscribing film and theatre scenes with affective qualities through their presence, from romance to horror to police procedurals. The Prop House celebrates the decades-old collection of MPF, by inviting Vancouver-based artists who will create one last journey of imagination before the Prop House closes. Embracing archive, hauntology, nostalgia and the imaginary, the re-assemblages and responses includes the work of Cathy Busby, Germaine Koh, Jason Payne, Jay Senetchko, Charlene Vickers, Parvin Peivandi and Bagua Artist Association, who will reflect on the sovereign life of objects.
This exhibition also features a film on the Mount Pleasant Community ArtScreen and window installations at Mount Pleasant Furniture.
The Prop House: A Collection of Over One Million Objects is presented by Griffin Art Projects (North Vancouver) and On Main Gallery (Vancouver) in collaboration with grunt gallery, Mount Pleasant Community Screen and Mount Pleasant Furniture.
The Prop House: A Collection of One Million Objects Tour with Curators Lisa Baldissera and Paul Wong and Exhibition Artists (hybrid in-person and online via Zoom)
Stop by Griffin Art Projects for a curator’s tour and artist walk through of The Prop House: Collection of One Million Objects.
The Prop House: A Collection of Over One Million Objects offers an opportunity to celebrate and explore this extraordinary collection with the public for the first time. The objects were sourced everywhere, from second hand stores to garage to estate sales deepening in complexity and materiality. In turn, this archive has been returned to the world as objects of imagination, inscribing film and theater scenes with affective qualities through their presence, from romance to horror to police procedurals. The Prop House invites visual artists’ responses, re-situating selected collection objects at Griffin on one last journey of imagination before the Prop House closes. Embracing archive, hauntology, nostalgia and the imaginary, the re-assemblages reflect on the sovereign life of objects, particularly poignant in an era of the single use and discarded.
The artists, Cathy Busby, Germaine Koh, Jason Payne, Jay Senetchko, Charlene Vickers, Parvin Peivandi and Bagua Artist Association, will lead a walkthrough of their installation process at Griffin Art Projects. Curators Lisa Baldissera and Paul Wong will explore the nuances of curating a project that invites artists and the public to consider the diverse array of ephemera, film memorabilia, and various historical objects housed at Mount Pleasant Furniture.
This exhibition also features several off-site projects located in the Mount Pleasant area, including a film project by Paul Wong, presented at the Mount Pleasant Community Screen and a window installation and project at Mount Pleasant Furniture.
The Prop House: A Collection of Over One Million Objects is presented in collaboration with grunt gallery, Mount Pleasant Community Screen, Mount Pleasant Furniture and On Main Gallery.
Live from the Studio with Through A BIPOC Lens Award Winner Chad Wong
Join artist-in-residence Chad Wong online to learn what he has been up to during his time at Griffin!
Open Studio with Artist Cody Tolmie
Visit Emerging Indigenous Studio Award winner Cody Tolmie in person to celebrate the work and research of his residency. Drop in for a casual chat between 12 and 5 PM.
Live from the Studio with Cody Tolmie
Tune in online to hear what Emerging Indigenous Studio Award winner Cody Tolmie has been up to during his time at Griffin!
CONFERENCE: Arcs and Orbits
We are pleased present: mini-conference, Arcs and Orbits: Art, Relationality and Innovation on site at Griffin Art Projects!
Conversations on Collecting with Denis Walz
Image: Joan Balzar, Electra II, 1967/2009, Acrylic paint on canvas with neon tubing, 152 x 323 cm. Gift of the Artist. Collection of West Vancouver Art Museum.
Join us in-person for an enriching session of our Conversations on Collecting series, featuring Denis Walz of Denis K. Walz Law Corporation.
With a wealth of experience as a collector, Walz brings a unique perspective, delving into the intricate world of managing your own art collections and offering invaluable insights into the delicate process of inheriting art and other collectibles.
Whether you're navigating the complexities of estate planning or facing the prospect of inheriting a cherished collection, this Conversations on Collecting is intended for enthusiasts and novices alike, offering a supportive environment for those interested in the world of collections, fostering discussions and invaluable learning opportunities.
Don't miss this opportunity to explore the multifaceted realm of collections and estates and an enlightening session that promises to deepen your understanding and inspire your journey in the world of collecting!
Curator’s Tour of Intersecting Orbits with Lisa Baldissera and David MacWilliam
Join curators Lisa Baldissera and David MacWilliam for a hybrid (in person and online via Zoom) exhibition tour of Intersecting Orbits: Michael Morris and Joan Balzar.
Open Studio with Artist Rolande Souliere
Drop by Griffin’s residency space to see what Indigenous Studio Award resident Rolande Souliere has been up to during her time at Griffin.
Live from the Studio with Rolande Souliere
Tune in online to hear what Indigenous Studio Award resident Rolande Souliere has been up to during her time at Griffin!
Coffeehouselab #3: A Conversation in the Coffeehouse
For our concluding event, join us at Delany’s Coffeehouse to collectively explore the vibrant coffeehouse culture in Palestine. Together, we will engage in an informal conversation about the potentialities of cultural workers in the context of extreme conditions.
Intersecting Orbits: Michael Morris and Joan Balzar Opening Reception
Join us in person for the opening reception of Intersecting Orbits: Michael Morris and Joan Balzar with collectors Rahmi Emin and Shawn Macmillan.
Coffeehouselab #2: Elham Puriya Mehr in conversation with Viviana Checchia
For the second event, join Elham Puriya Mehr in conversation with Viviana Checchia, the director of Derry Void, Ireland. This talk will focus on curatorial conviviality and how that can be explored through various formats and devices. Conviviality will be considered here as a condition for social interactions, specifically those connected with hospitality. The talk will share a variety of practical examples though focus principally on Vessel Art Project. Vessel’s practice will be explained and unpacked as embedded in an ongoing act of hosting and being hosted manifesting itself through public programming, commissioning and writing.
Coffeehouselab #1: Curator’s talk "The Third Space: The Affective Atmosphere"
For the first event, we invite you to a curator talk by Elham Puriya Mehr, an independent curator based in Vancouver. Elham will present her video titled ‘The Third Space: The Affective Atmosphere of Coffeehouses,’ in which she unravels the intricate layers, affective atmosphere, and specters of the coffeehouse as a ‘third space.’
YouthHUB Exhibition: Imagined Observations
Join us in person for the opening reception of Imagined Observations.
Re-centering the Artist: Building Discursive Links Across Galleries
As part of this year’s COMBINE Art Fair, this virtual roundtable brings the founders of the Art Fair—Monica Reyes Gallery, Unit 17 and WAAP (Wil Aballe Arts Projects)—together with an invited gallerist to speak on the importance of gallery-led collaboration within the Canadian arts ecology and to feature highlights from the fair!
COMBINE Art Fair 2023
COMBINE Art Fair returns for its third year, featuring two new Vancouver-based galleries Afternoon Projects and Pale Fire, and Los Angeles based Royale Projects alongside founders Griffin Art Projects, Mónica Reyes Gallery, Unit 17 and WAAP. COMBINE is a unique art fair for its lateral leadership model that cultivates dialogue between local and international galleries. COMBINE offers an opportunity for aspiring and experienced collectors who are interested in vibrant contemporary art practices to converse with gallerists and artists in a convivial boutique environment. COMBINE 2023 will present a collaboratively curated presentation of artists including Lynn Aldrich, Maru Aponte, Trevor Bourke, Annie Briard, Qian Cheng, Ezra Gray, Graham Landin, Tiziana La Melia, Nathan Mabry, John Monteith, Ed Moses, Julien Parant-Marquis, Ladan Sedighi, Ani Schulze and Christian Vistan.
Curator’s Tour with Lisa Baldissera & Open Studios with Curator Anne Bourrassé and Artist Maru Aponte
Join us for a hybrid Curator’s Tour with Griffin Art Projects director and curator Lisa Baldissera and visit our residency Open Studios to celebrate the work and research of 2023 Paris-Vancouver Program Resident, Anne Bourrassé, and Griffin x ECU Fellowship Recipient, Maru Aponte! Drop in for a casual chat with the residents between 12 and 5 PM.
Live From the Studio with Anne Bourrassé, 2023 Paris-Vancouver Curatorial Program Resident
Join us online to hear what the 2023 Paris/Vancouver Curatorial Residency Program Resident, Anne Bourassé, has been up to during her time at Griffin.
Live From the Studio with Maru Aponte, Griffin x ECU Fellowship Studio Award Recipient
Join us online to hear what the recipient of the Griffin x ECU Fellowship Studio Award, Maru Aponte, has been up to during her time at Griffin.
Conversations on Collecting: Embodied Relations of Art Collections
This ongoing series builds on one of Griffin Art Project’s mandates: to make privately held art collections accessible to the public. Join us in person at Griffin Art Projects as Jeffrey Boone, collector and UBC MA candidate in Critical Curatorial Studies, and Glenn Alteen, curator and writer, discuss the embodied relations of art collections.
SHIFT: A Virtual Conference on the Ecologies of Fashion, Form and Textile
The SHIFT Conference, co-curated by Dr. Karen Tam and Dr. Lisa Baldissera, will engage academics, museum specialists, collectors and artists including keynote speaker, Alexis Walker, Associate Curator of Dress, Fashion and Textiles at the McCord Stewart Museum (Montreal) and features three panels: Fashion Ecologies, Histories of Fashion and its Futures and Sticky Pictures: The Intersection of Art and Fashion on Griffin’s recent publication produced in collaboration with Figure 1 and the Musee d’art contemporain, Montreal (MAC).
Cover Image: Janet Werner. Leg, 2021. Oil on canvas. 50.8 x 45.7 cm. Courtesy of the artist and Bradley Ertaskiran, Montreal.
Many Truths and Other Ways to Rethink Reconciliation with Indigenous Artist Miriam Berndt and Grace Ulu
Join us for a pre-recorded talk by the inaugural recipient of the Emerging Indigenous Artist Studio Award, Miriam Berndt and collaborator, Musqueam Artist, Grace Ulu discussing land-based practices, unveiling family histories, and reconciling stories from their nuanced matrilineal heritage.
COMBINATIONS: An Evening Social for Emerging Collectors with Wil Aballe, Director of Wil Aballe Art Projects
If you have always wanted to know how to start an art collection, join us at Griffin Art Projects for COMBINATIONS, an in-person social event for emerging collectors with gallerist Wil Aballe (Wil Aballe Art Projects)!
SHIFT Opening Reception, Jaewoo Kang’s we meet (up/down) and Janet Werner: Sticky Pictures Book Launch
Join us in-person for a dynamic multi-event reception for SHIFT: Ecologies of Fashion, Form and Textile.
Open Studio and Book Launch
Join us in-person at Griffin Art Projects on Sunday, August 27 for a multi-event celebration to close the summer! From 12 - 2 PM, Griffin will host a reception for Per Diem: The Gerd Metzdorff Collection, a lushly illustrated full-colour publication featuring Canadian and international artists from Metzdorff’s stunning collection. Refreshment, food and remarks from Grant Mann and David Birdsall will celebrate the Metzdorff collection along with artists featured in the publication. At 2:30 PM, the final exhibition tour with Emmett Hanly will provide the inside scoop on this enigmatic collector’s choices. And from 12 - 5 PM, Griffin will also host Open Studios with artists Jaewoo Kang, ECU x Griffin Graduate Studio Award Winner Marion Landry, and August Curator-in-Residence, Bernard Liebov.
Live From the Studio with Curator-In-Residence Bernard Leibov
Join curator Bernard Leibov to hear about the curatorial process behind BoxoPROJECTS residencies, the Joshua Treenial and the interaction between the two!
Per Diem Part II: The Gerd Metzdorff Collection Guided Tour
Join Griffin Art Projects’ Indigenous Curatorial Assistant, Emmett Hanly, for a series of guided tours of Griffin’s current exhibition, Per Diem Part II: The Gerd Metzdorff Collection, on Sunday afternoons at 2:30PM throughout the season!
Live From the Studio with Griffin x ECU STUDIO Award Winner Marion Landry
Join the recipient of the Griffin x Emily Carr University Studio Award, Marion Landry, live over zoom to learn about her practice and what she has been up to during her time at Griffin.
Per Diem Part II: The Gerd Metzdorff Collection Guided Tour
Join Griffin Art Projects’ Indigenous Curatorial Assistant, Emmett Hanly, for a series of guided tours of Griffin’s current exhibition, Per Diem Part II: The Gerd Metzdorff Collection, on Sunday afternoons at 2:30PM throughout the season!
Per Diem Part II: The Gerd Metzdorff Collection Guided Tour
Join Griffin Art Projects’ Indigenous Curatorial Assistant, Emmett Hanly, for a series of guided tours of Griffin’s current exhibition, Per Diem Part II: The Gerd Metzdorff Collection, on Sunday afternoons at 2:30PM throughout the season!
Per Diem Part II: The Gerd Metzdorff Collection Guided Tour
Join Griffin Art Projects’ Indigenous Curatorial Assistant, Emmett Hanly, for a series of guided tours of Griffin’s current exhibition, Per Diem Part II: The Gerd Metzdorff Collection, on Sunday afternoons at 2:30PM throughout the season!