Art Scene: Reflections on coastal B.C.

Until Feb. 1, 2026

Haida artist Kihl ‘Yahda Christian White’s work ranges from argillite carvings and gold and silver jewelry to totem poles and cedar canoes. A successful commercial artist over the past 45 years, White is nevertheless only now the subject of a major retrospective exhibition. More than 40 artworks, including carvings, regalia and prints, will be on display. The exhibition will also speak to White’s role as a founding member of the Haida Repatriation Committee, which has brought home the remains of more than 500 Haida ancestors to Haida Gwaii, as well as engaged with some of the 12,000 Haida belongings held in museums worldwide.

639 Hornby St. 604-682-3455

billreidgallery.ca

April 3 to 27

In this series of paintings, Vancouver artist Valerie Raynard finds inspiration in the visual interplay of engineered geometric structures with the ever-changing rhythms of the sea, mountains and sky. The work portrays quieter moments in the coastal industry of B.C. as the sun sets, casting a warm glow on freighters and other symbols of resource extraction and transportation in the province. The artist, primarily self-taught, aims to capture the form of this ephemeral language through painting, so that something can be gleaned of its meaning.

2435 Granville St. 604-736-5444

kurbatoffgallery.com

Until May 5

The exhibition showcases women’s contributions to the Northwest tradition of carving wood and argillite. Borrowed from public and private collections, these 127 poles, panels, masks, bowls, and other sculptures are rife with traditional knowledge. Focusing on carvers active from the 1950s to present day, the retrospective highlights the role of women artists within the tradition of Indigenous carving along the coast of British Columbia. Among the artists featured are Ellen Neel, Freda Diesing, and Doreen Jensen, three Northwest Coast carvers who paved the way for subsequent generations, as well as Susan Point, Dale Marie Campbell and Marianne Nicolson. Marika Echachis Swan, Morgan Asoyuf, Cori Savard, Stephanie Anderson, Veronica Waechter, Arlene Ness, Cherish Alexander and Melanie Russ represent mid-career/emerging artists.

4350 Blackcomb Wy., Whistler 604-962-0413

audainartmuseum.com

April 12 to June 8

Born in Hong Kong in 1956, Mary Sui Yee Wong immigrated to Canada in 1963 and grew up in Vancouver’s Chinatown before moving to Montreal in 1988. The artist’s work engages with personal memory, cultural history, familial legacy, Orientalism, and anti-Asian sentiment within Canada. This survey exhibition showcases sculpture, photographs, video, costume and a public artwork, and culminates with a new performance-based work. Some of the pieces have been seen rarely or only by a few people, as they were presented in alternative spaces, on ephemeral platforms, are performance-based, or were documented insufficiently. Her works were exhibited in Montreal and Vancouver in the 1990s and 2000s, but have been shown less frequently since the 2010s.

Richmond Cultural Centre, 7700 Minoru Gate 604-247-8363