Van Dop Gallery is reaching out into the city.
The New Westminster Gallery has just opened two new off-site gallery spaces at the River Market.
One is at Wild Rice, a newly opened Asian restaurant, which is now home to works by B.C. artist Veronica Foster.
Foster's Evolution Series - described as a series of works that "evoke a sense of visual poetry . a gathering of elusive memory awakening us to our inner senses" - is on display at the restaurant.
The second is at Pedagogy Toys, where the exhibition is designed to fit in amongst the rows of toys and bright colours.
It currently houses work by two well-known Canadian artists: Joe Average and Claudette Castonguay.
Average has become a legend in Canadian art, creating vivid and imaginative prints for decades.
Castonguay's collages, meanwhile, evoke a sense of childlike wonder with their tactile cut-and-paste texture and their light-hearted, often humorous imagery.
A press release notes that the two new spaces are an extension of the gallery's existing mission. "Van Dop Gallery has long promoted the ability of artwork to transform and enliven a space outside of the traditional confines of austere and cold gallery spaces," a press release notes. "The gallery itself is an alternative space: a three-level home representing the unique symbiotic relationship of art and living. The new offsite initiative continues to push the boundaries of exclusive gallery spaces and invites people to imagine a world with art in every corner."
Both Wild Rice and Pedagogy will continue to showcase selected works by Canadian artists, with new collections installed on a regular basis.
For more about Van Dop Gallery, check out www.vandopgallery.com or call 604521-7887.
