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Contemporary art from here. Now.

How Soon Is Now is a selection of recent art from the province of British Columbia. Drawing on diverse formal, material and conceptual approaches, the exhibition brings together a dynamic group of artists who work in a range of media, with a mix of sculpture, painting, video, audio works, architectural interventions, site-specific projects and events.

A number of recurring metaphors and motifs run throughout the exhibition: the recording studio, the rehearsal space, the devalued object, the space of social interaction, architecture, the unconscious, literature and narrative, and a sense of experimentation and risk. Artworks are situated inside and outside of the gallery space proper; on the grounds, at the entrance, in the windows, in the lobby and behind gallery walls, inviting viewers to look awry and question the conventions of spectatorship.

Taking a cue from a song by English rock band The Smiths, the exhibition title evokes a central characteristic of the work—a sense of immediacy that speaks to the present moment. Bringing together divergent forms of artistic practices, How Soon Is Now recognizes some of the important shifts in contemporary art that privilege event over object, process over product, interaction over contemplation. Organized according to shared connections between works rather than a single theme, gallery spaces become a venue for a range of experiences, be they transformative, social, sensory, introspective or political.

How Soon is Now is organized by the Vancouver Art Gallery and curated by Kathleen Ritter, Assistant Curator. This exhibition is presented with Vancouver 2010 Cultural Olympiad and is supported by the British Columbia Arts Council and the Province of British Columbia.