Immerse Yourself in Public Art As You Walk Around Vancouver

You’re strolling along the waterfront by the Vancouver Convention Centre, and you come across a giant, elongated drop of water, slanted as it points upward to the sky above.

The Drop by Inges Idee is part of an abundance of public art that you will find in your walks throughout Vancouver. The city not only has fantastic large and boutique galleries, but also makes art part of the urban landscape. Through this art, the streets transform into spaces of wonder and education.

Here are 9 other works of art you will encounter as you explore the city:

Stanley Park Totem Poles

Connect with nature in a 405-hectare rainforest in the heart of the city. Stanley Park is a jewel, encompassing not only trails, a Seawall, restaurants like Stanley’s Bar & Grill, gardens, beaches and attractions like the Vancouver Aquarium, but also monuments and public art.

As you wander around the park, make sure to stop at Brockton Point, where the city’s most iconic totem poles are located. Many of the poles are replicas and replacements of ones originally brought to Stanley Park from other parts of British Columbia, like Haida Gwaii, in the 1920s and 30s (the originals are now preserved at museums).

Though beautiful and meaningful, totem poles are not a traditional form of the Coast Salish peoples. To represent the culture/art of this place, the work People Amongst the People, red cedar portals inspired by Coast Salish buildings carved by artist Susan Point, was installed in the area.

A-maze-ing Laughter at Morton Park

You’ll come across and interact with one of the most beloved works of public art when you visit English Bay. A-maze-ing Laughter, located in Morton Park (in front of where Davie Street and Denman Street intersect) was created by Chinese artist Yue Minjun and part of the 2009-2011 Vancouver Biennale exhibition (an initiative responsible for a lot of the public art in the city). The work consists of 14 cast-bronze larger-than-life figures frozen in poses of hilarity. You’ll love imitating their body positions as well as breaking into laughter as you join their community.

Inukshuk at English Bay

Leave Morton Park and walk along scenic English Bay Beach (basically, down Beach Avenue). At the foot of Bidwell, your eyes will be drawn to a striking six-foot Inukshuk by artist Alvin Kanak. The work is composed of granite boulders from a Fraser Valley quarry that are stacked to create a human-like figure of welcome. It was designed for the Northwest Territories pavilion for Vancouver’s Expo 86.

People of Downtown Mural

Vancouver has a thriving public mural scene, propelled in large part by the work of the Vancouver Mural Festival (now closed; Astro Arts Festival will take its place August 8-10).

Downtown Van has numerous vibrant murals, such as People of Downtown by local artist Carson Ting. The 120-foot long mural, found at 644 Seymour Street, captures 17 individuals who have contributed significantly to the city’s cultural and economic life. They span well-known and cherished figures like actor Ryan Reynolds, the athlete and activist Rick Hansen, and Joe Fortes, a lifeguard in the early 1900s. The mural is within walking distance of CF Pacific Centre shopping, as well as other landmarks like the Vancouver Art Gallery.

Slow at Parq Vancouver

Parq Vancouver is a complex that combines hotel accommodation like JW Marriott, restaurants such as The Victor, and a casino. The complex is within walking distance of BC Place, Rogers Arena, in addition to neighbourhoods like Yaletown and Chinatown. Before you enter Parq, stop to look at a charming work of public art at its main entrance. Slow by Zhang Huan depicts a mother panda and her cub going for a stroll together. The stainless steel sculpture encourages you to slow down and make time for the important relationships in your life.

Giants on Granville Island

Granville Island, home to a Public Market, restaurants like Dockside, and a plethora of boutiques and artist studios, also has several works of public art. The most visible is, without a doubt, Giants, six concrete silos at Heidelberg Materials (formerly Ocean Concrete). Artist group OSGEMEOS (Gustavo and Otavio Pandolfo) metamorphosed the grey towers into figures wearing brightly patterned clothing.

The Family on Granville Island

Not far from Giants, you’ll find The Family, a piece of historical public art that was moved a few years ago to Granville Island. The piece, commissioned in 1965 by Stu Keate, the Vancouver Sun newspaper publisher at the time, stood outside the Pacific Press building for years. You’ll now find it in front of The Sandbar Seafood Restaurant. The cast bronze sculptures, the work of artist Jack Harman, are of a woman holding a baby, a man, and their older child. They stand tall, staring into the distance and potentially a more inclusive future beyond the 1960s ideal they represented. The artwork embodies the past and present of Vancouver, a dynamic city that continues to evolve.

Walking Figures at Canada Line Station

Vancouver’s Canada Line, a rapid transit system, has a robust public art program. Ride the train from downtown (e.g., Vancouver City Centre) to the Broadway-City Hall Station, and you’ll arrive at the foot of the Cambie Village, home to tons of restaurants and shops. Aptly, before you set on your journey through the neighbourhood, you’ll be greeted by five Walking Figures, cast-iron sculptures of 9-foot tall headless people walking. The figures, part of a larger work by Magdalena Abakanowicz, invites you to consider your identity in an anonymous crowd as well as where you’re walking to and from.

Circulation in Mount Pleasant

Mount Pleasant, a lively and very walkable neighbourhood where you’ll find restaurants, bars, breweries, and boutiques, is known for the many murals on its buildings and walls. Roam around its streets, and you’ll see an exciting range of them.

One of the newest public art additions to the area is a series of steel alloy and aluminum sculptures entitled Circulation. Created by artists Sanaz and Mani Mazinani, they hang from and are installed in front of the buildings of AbCellera (110 and 115 West 4th Avenue). Circulation makes visible sound waves in bold primary colours, playing with sensory perception and perspective and closing the gap between art and the public.

Ultimately, these works of art are diverse but share a common interest to connect with you, the viewer, and to energize urban locations. A directory of public art in the city can be found here, as well as here.