About the Gallery
This bright, spacious and fully accessible studio and gallery space is located in the heart of East Vancouver’s creative hub. Located just off Commercial Drive on Venables Street, it is steps away from the newly opened East Van Brewery, Uprising Breads Bakery, and just a block away from Britannia Community Center.
During the weekdays, the studio is used as a creative work space for a collective of local artists, the gallery is open for rent if shared space is a consideration. The entire space is available for rentals from 4:00pm-11:00pm, and from 7:00am-11:00pm Saturdays and Sundays.
Built in 2016, this space is fresh and new, offering a number of amenities to suit your needs, including:
- Adjustable lighting
- Kitchen with a microwave, sink, dishwasher, and fridge
- Fully accessible entrance ways and washrooms
- Garage door that opens up into a loading area in the back alley, offering fresh air
- Wall mounted 75" smart TV
- Built-in SONOS sound system (you will need to download an app)
- Skylights for natural light
- High overhead ceiling
- Exposed wooden beams in gallery
- Floor to ceiling street front windows in the gallery, offering lots of natural light
- Flip top tables on wheels that can be easily moved to create a format you desire.
- 10 tables with 45 chairs
Pricing Options:
- Gallery Exhibition (gallery only) $750/week
- Gallery & Studio (entire space) $350/day (Weekends/holidays)
- Gallery & Studio (entire space) $150/day (Monday-Thursday from 4pm-11pm) ($350 Friday 4-11pm)
- Studio/Gallery viewings are available Monday-Friday from 12:00pm-3:00pm or may be accommodated after hours as per availability.
In the Gallery
A Year In Transition by Bettina Harvey and Steve Hawkins
Friday Feb 21- Sunday Feb 23
Opening Reception Friday Feb 21 6-9
Emotionally intense thoughts and feelings conveyed in handwritten form, love letters were once the only means to connect people across distances. In today’s fast-paced world of computer-mediated communication, people in long-distance relationships are turning to digital media to manage interpersonal interaction and maintain their connections. Although the desired outcome is intimacy, they are often left with contradictory feelings of isolation and detachment.
Bettina Harvey and Steve Hawkins are interested in how communication within a relationship flourishes despite technology. By merging high-speed digital messaging and traditional painting techniques, their work employs a socio-behavioural perspective to explore the role of love letters in contemporary society.
Throughout all projects, the pair’s methodology is consistent. By capturing and texting iPhone images that represent observations of his everyday life and experiences, Steve initiates a connection with Bettina. She responds by reimagining the texted images in her studio. Through this process, the distance between them becomes less significant, as they remain constantly engaged in imaginative reflection about the space their loved one occupies.
The choice of media is as carefully considered as the subject itself. Intrigued by the “in-your-pocket” communication capabilities of the iPhone, Steve works with texted images—a medium as accessible as it is impermanent. Conversely, Bettina works with the ancient medium of encaustic, creating richly textured, luminous paintings. Responding to the immediacy of digital photography, the process of working with beeswax and damar resin is slow and permanent, yet forgiving. Together, Bettina and Steve use these multi-media approaches to craft an aesthetic conversation that bridges distance.
