By: Izzy Cheung, Staff Writer

Biber Bahçesi / Pepper Garden
When: January 27–March 23 (Tuesday–Saturday from 12:00 p.m.–5:00 p.m.) 
Where: Access Gallery, 222 E. Georgia St., Vancouver
Admission: Free

This textile exhibit crafted by Turkish artist and lecturer Damla Tamer explores feminist suppression under Turkey’s authoritarian governing body. Woven into two of the largest, most impressive pieces on display are copies of documents from the 2011 Istanbul Convention and the 2021 Turkish presidential verdict, calling attention to the work that has gone into combating gender-based violence in the country. Smaller pieces in the exhibit include dyed threads, pigeon feathers, and found materials that are woven, mixed into paper, or even come to form sculptures. On the last day of the exhibit, March 23, Tamer will also give a talk on her research. 

Find out more at Access Gallery’s website.

If I hadn’t created my own world, I would have died in someone else’s
When: February 2–May 5 (Tuesday–Sunday from 12:00 p.m.–6:00 p.m.) 
Where: Contemporary Art Gallery, 555 Nelson St., Vancouver
Admission: Free 

Diane Severin Nguyen specializes in photography and other lens-based work. This exhibit, in the BC Binning Gallery, features her original film: In Her Time (Iris’ Version), which delves into a young actress’ journey of playing a major character in a Chinese film put on by Hengdian World Studios, a globally renowned Asian film studio. The Iris’ Version cut weaves her iPhone camera’s perspective into the story, allowing for yet another behind-the-scenes look at the actress’ experiences. The film is 67 minutes long and begins at five different times throughout each day: 12:00 p.m., 1:10 p.m., 2:20 p.m., 3:30 p.m., and 4:40 p.m.  

Find out more at the Contemporary Art Gallery’s website.  

XIÁM
When: February 7–May 19 (Wednesday–Sunday from 11:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.)
Where: Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Coast Art, 639 Hornby St., Vancouver 
Admission: Free admission for SFU students (with student ID) 

This display features the comic art of five different artists from five Indigenous nations: Jordanna George (T’sou-ke), Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas (Haida), Gord Hill (Kwakwaka’wakw), Whess Harman (Carrier Wit’at), and Cole Pauls (Tahltan). The rich mix of stories from different Indigenous cultures and languages culminates in a series of action-packed comics. These artists combine their expertise to do as the exhibit title suggests — “to tell stories, specifically fictional or traditional” — as defined in the SENĆOŦEN language. 

Find out more at Bill Reid Gallery’s website. 

sik teng mm sik gong (pardon my chinese)
When: February 14–April 10 (Monday–Friday from 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m. and Saturdays from 12:00 p.m.–4:00 p.m.)
Where: Dal Schindell Gallery in Regent College, 5800 University Blvd., Vancouver
Admission: By-appointment online.

Gloria Wong’s exhibit, on display at the Dal Schindell Gallery near UBC, analyzes the “Hong Kong-Canadian diasporic identity” and how it travels through other points of life. She uses large format photographs to capture “care and neglect, sterility and warmth, belonging and alienation” in Asian Canadian households. Wong draws on her own experiences to explore the idea of the “hyphen” in describing multiple identities, as a symbol of cultures merging. 

Find out more at the Schindell Gallery’s website.