Vancouver is known for its conceptual arts and photography scene. Many of the city's artists graduated from Vancouver’s Emily Carr University of Fine Art & Design on Granville Island. The success of Emily Carr, the artist and the school, is reflected in the continuous growth of galleries and schools around the city. One such prominent gallery is Equinox Gallery, a hop-skip-and-a-jump from Emily Carr University’s newest off-site campus on Great Northern Way.
Equinox Gallery only represents select artists. The likes of Vancouver’s favored painter Gordon Smith, David Hockney, Edweard Muybridge, Fred Herzog and the estate of Jack Shadbolt have all called Equinox Gallery home at some point. This gallery is considered to house the best of the best when it comes to representing painting, photography, sculpture and drawings on an international art scale.
Herzog's "Mexico City Shoe Shine," 1963 — Photo courtesy of Fred Herzog / Equinox Gallery
Having said that, Equinox is on the higher end of the commercial buyer’s art market. All of the work Equinox carries is contemporary, original and one of a kind. They even carry book publications for their more respective collections, which the avid art collector can purchase online or in the gallery.
Equinox Gallery owner Andy Sylvester’s decision to relocate from the 'Granville Strip' has really gentrified the area of Great Northern Way into the new and hip artsy go-to destination for exhibit-hopping go-getters in Vancouver. The gallery is only blocks away from the nearest Skytrain station for walking/biking purposes. It's also driver-friendly, with free parking availability around the building.
Equinox Gallery’s project space has also recently added a new neighbor in the same building complex, that of the Monte Clark Gallery. The destination, being off of Main St., gives the gallery an edgier flair to the more conservative gallery and stereotypical intimidating gallery. Equinox isn’t your typical gallery, either: it's an enormous warehouse-like project space with nothing but bright white walls and high ceilings. The space can hold huge crowds for exhibition openings.
Equinox generally showcases one new exhibition per month. The exhibition is usually opened up to private collectors first, and then to the public. The gallery tends to be separated by the open office staff/lobby entrance area, with an east side and west side gallery. On the west side, you will most likely find the newest exhibiting works, and the east showcases some of their other available or recently sold collections.
Equinox is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. So a Sunday gallery stroll may not be in the cards, but they are available by appointment to the serious art collector.
