The Surrey Art Gallery is launching "In the Shadow of the Pavilions: Expo 86 and Contemporary Art," a multidisciplinary exhibition running from April 18 to June 7. Curated by Jordan Strom, the show features archival works and documentation from over 40 artists created between 1984 and 1988. It brings together official commissions from the world’s fair alongside unofficial, parallel art initiatives that emerged during Vancouver’s Centennial celebrations, covering media ranging from kinetic sculpture to performance art.
This exhibition marks the first major institutional effort to critically examine the artistic legacy of Expo 86, which attracted 22 million visitors but has historically been overshadowed by Montreal’s Expo 67. By revisiting this transformational period, the gallery highlights how the fair catalyzed cultural flourishing in British Columbia and provided a platform for themes of urban development, Indigenous self-determination, and futurity that continue to resonate in the region's contemporary art scene.