Western Canada’s largest lens-based art festival returns to Metro Vancouver and Whistler this month, and it’s the perfect opportunity to tap into your creative side.
The 11th annual Capture Photography Festival nurtures and showcases emerging and established photographic talent from April 1 to 30.
Artists and photography fans can check out special exhibitions, public art, tours, workshops, and more across the region, with many free events happening all month.
“Capture’s mission is to connect Vancouver to the world through lens-based art and I’m thrilled to continue this work with the compelling photography presented in our 11th Festival,” said Emmy Lee Wall, executive director and chief curator of Capture Photography Festival, in a release. “Photography continues to prove itself an incredibly powerful means of communication and expression.
“Our projects exemplify lens-based art’s unique ability to amplify the voices of traditionally underrepresented communities by fostering meaningful dialogue among artists, curators, audiences, organizations, and institutions.”
Aaron Leon, Untitled 4, from the Altered Landscapes series, 2013–20, chromogenic print, 76.2 x 94.61cm. Courtesy of the artist.
Local, national, and international artists will be featured in the huge celebration of lens-based art. Attendees can visit public art projects, explore gallery exhibitions, participate in tours and panel talks, and more.
Capture Photography Festival begins with a launch and opening reception on Thursday, April 4 at The Pendulum Gallery. The special exhibition On Time, co-curated with Jeff Hamada from art platform Booooooom, will be displayed during the event. On Time challenges the traditional idea that an image only captures a single moment while also exploring the relationship between photography and time.
Mockup of Karen Zalamea, Ensemble, 2024. Courtesy of the Artist.
Photo aficionados will also want to check out Ensemble, an Anvil Centre Public Art Project by Filipino-Canadian artist Karen Zalamea located on the facade of the New Westminster cultural and conference space.
Ensemble was created after Zalamea became curious about the origins of the sister-city relationship between the City of New Westminster and Quezon City in the Philippines. She will join Wall for a free artist talk on Sunday, April 14 at the Anvil.
Another can’t-miss highlight of Capture Photography Festival 2024 is a speaker series talk with Shana Lopes, assistant curator of photography at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA).
SFMOMA’s photography collection was one of the first United States art institutions to recognize photography as an art form, with the museum now housing the country’s largest permanent space for photography. Lopes will discuss 10 recent acquisitions during the event.
For a full calendar of Capture Photography Festival events, click here.
When: April 1 to 30, 2024
Time: Various times
Where: Various locations throughout Metro Vancouver
Admission: Free