This week marks the inaugural International Contemporary Art Fair in Vancouver. Simply called, The Fair, this event will be held at the Waldorf Hotel on Hastings Street and brings together 17 local and international exhibitors and the work of over 90 artists.
This is part one of a two-part post. Hopefully you’ll read this in time and get to go and experience the Fair for yourself. If not, I’ll tell you about it later.
I called this the inaugural, but the truth is I don’t know for sure whether this will be a recurring event. I certainly hope that this marks the first of many like events in the coming years. If that happens Vancouver could quickly become the City formerly known as No Fun. The Waldorf seems to be stepping up to take the lead in this dance and has quickly become a major arts and culture hub, attracting myriad events to take place each week throughout the building’s many rambling rooms. For example, while I was leaving a talk by Douglas Coupland last week I stumbled into a used record sale that, at 11pm, did not appear to be shutting down anytime soon.
I am excited to see what the contributing galleries will bring to the tables, walls, and probably floors of the Waldorf. This is an awesome opportunity to get out into your community and to put your finger on today’s cultural pulse in Vancouver. You could easily make a night of it by grabbing a bite to eat at one of two restaurants in the building before perusing the Fair for inspiration. And afterwards, drinking out of a coconut while staring at the starry ceiling of the Tiki bar can also be pretty inspiring.
The Fair runs from Thursday June 2 to Sunday June 5. Given the odds that it will probably be raining for at least one of the days, I am sure you will find it warm and friendly inside. Also, the event is free so really there are no excuses. Especially since you could stumble into a record sale on your way home…