This is quite likely one of the most exciting things that will be happening in Vancouver during the Olympics – at least for locals. The Downtown Vancouver ArtWalk will see 10 vacant spaces in the Gastown district converted into temporary “pop-up” galleries, with dozens of additional pre-existing locations included on a 3-day art tour spanning from the Downtown Eastside through Chinatown and into Gastown.

Here’s a sneak peek at some of the spaces being converted into pop-up galleries:

Vancouverites will recognize that this block of buildings in Gastown has been under renovation/reconstruction for years – and the doors are finally being opened.  It’s pretty magical – after so many years of construction, you begin to feel that it’s simply perpetual and will never end.  The ArtWalk is a christening of sorts for these spaces, that have been unused for so long.

A diverse range of Vancouver’s top visual artists are installing works into the spaces over the coming week for the official launch on February 12: Raif Adelberg, Ronan Boyle, Bienvenido Cruz, Andy Dixon, The Dark, Kris Krug, Malcolm Levy, Christian Nicolay, Jeff Petry, Office Supplies Inc., and Indigo Daydreamer are just a few examples of the talent you’ll find.  And of course, you can find LARRY. in the Obakki store at 44 Water st throughout the ArtWalk and the Olympics.

On Andy Dixon, don’t miss his opening at the grace-gallery tomorrow night (February 5) for his new collection, Such Events Have Led Us Here.

Here is Andy’s preview:

“This is a story.

INCIDENT TWO:
A dog named Jorge braves the traffic of a Santiago highway to pull a wounded dog to safety.

INCIDENT THREE:
Lulu, a pot-bellied pig, saves her owner’s life by throwing herself into highway traffic in order to draw attention to the fact that her owner is having a heart attack.

INCIDENT ONE:
I am born.

INCIDENT FIVE:
You read this.

INCIDENT FOUR:
I write down INCIDENTS TWO and THREE, but feel as though the story is incomplete without also mentioning INCIDENTS ONE, FOUR, and FIVE.

The End.”

1898 Main Street, 8pm, Feb 5.