By: Sara Wong, Arts & Culture Editor
Why the Arts Matter . . . Especially Now | Oct. 18, 5:30–6:45 p.m. | FREE | Online
This interview event features Sirish Rao, co-founder of Vancouver’s Indian Summer Festival (ISF). Led by Anosh Irani, assistant professor and writer-in-residence with SFU’s world languages and literatures department, the two will discuss the future of liberal arts. Rao will also provide insight into how he created ISF, which recently celebrated its 11th anniversary. A Zoom link for this event will be provided two days prior via email. Register through Eventbrite.
Alex Cuba | Oct. 21, 8:00 p.m. | FREE | Online
Organized by the Vancouver Latin American Cultural Centre (VLACC), Canadian Cuban artist Alex Cuba will perform at The Orpheum theatre. Cuba is a jazz and pop musician who has won multiple Grammy and Juno awards. His work represents the diversity found within the Latin American diaspora. For more information and to receive the streaming link for this event, visit Eventbrite or VLACC’s website.
The Poem is a Temple | Now until Nov. 27 | FREE | Western Front gallery
Highlighting New Zealand multidisciplinary artist Sriwhana Spong, this exhibit features a film and sculpture, both of which connect to Spong’s Indonesian heritage. The film, titled The painter-tailor, is a personal family portrait and a commentary on how colonization, military invasions, and the tourism industry have affected Bali’s image. Meanwhile, the sculpture, Instrument H (Monster Chicken), doubles as an instrument replicating the sound of a Balinese gamelan — a percussion orchestra. Check out Western Front’s website for more information about this exhibit and visiting the gallery.
