North Vancouver will play host over the next two years to a pair of public art installations that showcase the work of international artists as part of the Vancouver Biennale.
Opening in May, one installation will be outside of the Gordon Smith Gallery of Canadian Art and the other will be at the Pipe Shop Building in Shipbuilder's Square, the long-dormant historic building on the city's waterfront.
Five out of fifteen artists working at the Pipe Shop have already arrived and begun creating their works of art. The 15 artists are from Brazil, while the artists at the Gordon Smith gallery hail from China and Poland.
Besides the two installations, the Biennale is planning to add more public art and public talks, as the festival progresses.
Darrell Mussatto, mayor of the City of North Vancouver said the city is "very fortunate to be hosting" the event.
"Being the multicultural city that we are, it's great to experience some of these new culures that we haven't really seen before," said Mussatto. The Vancouver Biennale, a non-profit arts group which promotes public art, has previously run projects in Richmond and Vancouver, and was founded by former gallery owner Barrie Mowatt.
"The Pipe Shop building is an incredible opportunity for the Biennale to create a cultural hub at the city's waterfront, re-imagining this historic space into a destination infused with art," said Mowatt in a press release.
"We are creating a destination of international merit for tourists and the community to gather, imagine and dialogue as global citizens."
Bill MacDonald is a volunteer with the Vancouver Biennale, as well as a key player in creating the Gordon Smith art gallery, and worked with the City of North Vancouver and Mowatt to bring "world-class art to North Vancouver."
"I've been working for five or six years to get the Biennale over to North Vancouver," said MacDonald, adding the City of North Vancouver was instrumental in bringing the Biennale over to the North Shore.
MacDonald praised the international artists and particularly Brazilian art scene, and said Brazil is "a real hotbed for visual culture."
"People think of (Brazil) as Carnival and soccer. But the contemporary art scene out there is really vibrant."MacDonald said art could help change the way people think, and how people "look and respond to the world."
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