The Vancouver Biennale Art is an Open Air Museum that is located at 290 W 3rd Avenue. They showcase amazing art in a public setting. They encourage learning about different culture and art, engagement with community, interaction and social action. The Vancouver Biennale is a non-profit organization whose purpose is to make public art accessible, motivate and inspire people in the community. Their exhibitions feature different style of art that include sculptures, film, music and performance. The museum has a welcoming, lively atmosphere where people feel connected to the art and to the people in the community. They do a great job of bringing an artistic approach to a culturally significant space.
One of the upcoming exhibitions called “Threads Through Time” is rooted in cultural significance. People who visit the Vancouver Biennale have the opportunity to educate themselves whilst enjoying the touring exhibition. This project is an extension of a previous exhibition called “Weaving Cultural Identities.” Threads Through Time displays 10 small-scale prayer rugs that are made by artists from Indigenous and Islamic communities. These Indigenous and Muslim artists draw inspiration from their land, experiences and ancestors to weave the prayer rugs that honour their history and way of life.
In the border that contains these rugs, there is a poem that is weaved into the fabric that pays respect and conceptualizes the Muslim migrant experience of life in Canada. The poem is by a Muslim poet named Efemeral. The poem is in Arabic, but it translates to:
“They were exiled from mosques
And in their mosques martyred
So in the expanse of their exile and martyrdom
They built a mosque.”
There is a painful history behind the lives of these artists and their expression of it in their art is powerful. It allows people from similar backgrounds to connect with the art and at the same time, it educates people who are unfamiliar of this history of the cultural significance behind this exhibition.