Seven of Vancouver's Great Art Galleries
Something I love about Vancouver’s art scene is the spaces and how they’re always evolving. There are art spaces everywhere. These aren’t just limited to formal art galleries. Coffee shops like Kafka's, book stores like Lucky’s, and even front windows like The Corner Store all frequently showcase local talent. In fact, for those who choose not to follow any formality at all, Vancouver’s walls, power boxes, and plywood are a gallery of their own.
Closing out a series on what cuts to the Vancouver Art Gallery mean for our local art ecosystem, I wanted to put together a non-exhaustive list of some of the great local galleries in the city. Each space was asked what they love about the local scene, and while not everyone replied, the answers showcase a variety of perspectives about why we need spaces like these. What is clear, is how diverse and compelling our local ecosystem is. But a reminder, they need your support. Attend openings, get a membership, or display your art, these spaces need you.
Who knows, you might be reading this and about to create a revolutionary new gallery space of your own. So get off your phone and go make something.
1. Slice
1636 Venables St, Vancouver, BC V5L 2H2
Slice just celebrated its tenth anniversary and there really is no place like it in the city. This self-described radically inclusive space offers all artists a chance to: “stop hiding your art under the bed. Put it on our wall instead.” With shows running Thursday to Sunday almost every week of the year this is the best place to see the wide range of creatives in our city. They also don’t charge upfront costs making this one of the most accessible spaces around. Slice offers working spaces, studios, pinball, a photo booth, events, and a gift shop.
2. Crack Gallery
No Fixed Address
Based in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver, Crack Gallery has been operating since 2014. Moulded by their surroundings, Crack Gallery takes the troubles of their neighbourhood and transforms them into artistic expression with t-shirts, zines and prints. Check out this interview with the gallery’s founder Teen.
To be honest, I don’t like much about Vancouver’s local art scene, which is why we started Crack Gallery 10 years ago. We wanted to do shows with our homies and give them a platform to show their work. It just kind of felt like there wasn’t really anything going on we were into - so we started our own thing.
3. THIS Gallery
108 e Broadway (entrance in alley) Vancouver, BC
THIS has a mandate to support artists by providing exhibition space and opportunities to earn a living through the sale of their work. They aren’t a 'pay-to-play' art gallery and are funded by a commission on art sales and by the gallery owner, Shannon Pawliw. As art sales are not guaranteed, they occasionally undertake fundraising initiatives. A recent exhibition by Liang Wang: Neon Superstitions showcased works that drew from scenes in Vancouver’s Chinatown, the works featured neon signage, beckoning cats, Guan Gong statues, and shopfront displays — symbols that blur the lines between commerce, faith, and folklore. Check out their lightly guided Art Socials for $25/person to meet new people and make cool stuff. The gallery is open Fridays and Saturdays noon to 5 pm. All other days are by appointment.
I love how community-minded the art scene is. We’re a very supportive bunch.
663 Market Hill, Vancouver, BC V5Z 4B5
Dedicated to growing arts and culture in the heart of the city fingerprint has been putting on incredible shows that blend street art and graffiti with the gallery space. Showcasing graff artists like Smokey Devil, Crums, and photographers like Carley Hughes Horvath, this gallery lovingly dignifies the city’s counter culture.
“What I love is that the Vancouver art scene is small but has exceptional depth and the result is that concerted efforts to put on shows or events leads to some really inspiring, noteworthy and impactful art in the scene. A perfect example of this is the newly renamed “Never Grow Up Graff Jam” which brings together some of the top graff painters in Canada to produce some really high quality work and which, on only its 3rd year, has already become a staple summer event for the community.”
5. Gallery 881
881 E Hastings St, Vancouver, BC V6A 3Y1
Gallery 881 is a lens-based art hub promoting the photographic arts through exhibitions, art sales, public events, and other visual art based programming. The Gallery also features an in-house print lab and framing shop, PrintMaker Studio, to help generate revenue to support our exhibitions and local artists. The gallery builds collaborative partnerships with artists, other galleries, and cultural institutions. They have also developed a membership model, for $100 you get discounts at neighbouring stores and PrintMaker Studio. Exhibitions like Jackie Dives: Of Course This Hurts Exhibition powerfully showcased is a photography series that intimately documented the toxic drug supply crisis through the lives of people who are being impacted by this public health emergency.
For me, my heart is in photography, which probably isn’t surprising given that I run a lens based gallery. Vancouver has a deep and important photographic history: Foncie Pulice, Fred Herzog, Greg Girard, and of course the Vancouver School of Photography all left an indelible mark. More recently, contemporary practices and the Indigenous presence have been elevated through the work of artists like Michelle Sound, Jake Kimble, and Dion Smith-Dokkie. Each expands and challenges the medium, connecting lens-based work with other disciplines and cultural perspectives. Artists such as Chad Wong and Annie Briard also continue to push photography into new conceptual and perceptual directions, often with a strong documentary thread.
At Gallery 881, I’ve had the honour of working with artists like Barbara Strigel, Karen Zalamea, and Hank Bull, each of whom brings a distinct approach that reimagines photography. Their work reminds me that photography in Vancouver is very much alive, even if it’s sometimes pushed to the margins of the Vancouver artscape. Of course, when I have my own solitary moments, I too like to return to my own art practice and create new work.
In many institutional spaces, the legacy and ongoing relevance of photography often feels overlooked in favour of other mediums. And yet, it remains one of the most widely practiced art forms today, especially in a world shaped by social media and our collective love of still and moving images.
That’s part of why I opened Gallery 881. It’s a space to celebrate and reassert the power of photography: to honour its history, reflect on what it looks like now, and help shape its future. PrintMaker Studio, our fine art print lab and custom framing service, supports this vision by pairing exhibition with production, and conceptualization with craft.
What I love most about Vancouver’s art scene is the vibrant photo community, both young and old, working diligently at the edges. My goal is to help centre them within the frame, while also looking outward toward exciting and boundary pushing practices.
6. grunt Gallery
#116 350 E 2nd Ave, Vancouver, BC V5T 4R8
grunt was founded in 1984 by eight artists: Hillary Wood, Dawn Richards, Kempton Dexter, Glenn Alteen, spike mckinley, Danielle Peacock, Billy Gene Wallace and Garry Ross. The programming scope has grown significantly over the years from a facility that primarily supported exhibitions, publications and performance to one that produces a wider range of activities, including: multi-partner collaborative projects, online project sites and expansive digital resources, site-specific artist projects, artist residencies, public art projects, international artistic exchanges and a vital, growing archive. Recent programming reveals a strong international component, with reciprocal opportunities for Canadian artists.
7. Pendulum Gallery
885 W Georgia St, Vancouver, BC V6C 3E8
In the heart of the business district across from the Vancouver Art Gallery is a small space in the lobby of the RBC Place. Featuring a large swinging piece of art entitled "The Pendulum" by Alan Storey, space features several walls highlighting fine art exhibitions ranging from painting to photography. This little gallery in a public space has a big impact.
Did I miss anything? What’s your favourite art space in the city?