Critiques of the Real

February 24 – April 2, 2022

Curated by Kiriko Watanabe, Gail & Stephen A. Jarislowsky Curator

During the 1980s, Vancouver was at the forefront of a movement in contemporary art known as Photoconceptualism – a merging of photography and conceptual art. Reacting against a perceived lack of political and social consciousness in the art produced in this region, several leading artists, including those exhibited in this gallery, often looked to the city as their source of inspiration. The rapid transformation of Vancouver’s once rural spaces became a key subject in their art production.

Critiques of the Real showcased Roy Arden’s photograph Condominium Advertisement, Vancouver, BC, Christos Dikeakos’s 250 Northern Street, Rodney Graham’s School Yard Tree, Vancouver, and Stan Douglas’s MacLeod’s Books from the Museum’s collection. These photographs address critical potentialities by offering larger historical, social, economic, and environmental contexts, as well as paradoxical realities.