In The Shadow of the Pavilions: Expo 86 and Contemporary Art | Surrey Art Gallery

Expo 86—a look back at its extraordinary artistic legacy
April 18 | 6 pm – 9 pm at Surrey Art Gallery

Surrey, BC – Surrey Art Gallery is pleased to announce the exhibition In the Shadow of the Pavilions: Expo 86 and Contemporary Art that will run from April 18 to June 7, 2026. The public reception and launch will take place Saturday April 18 from 6-9pm. Admission to the exhibition and reception is free.

Across numerous pavilions, multiple outdoor plazas, and within various museums and public galleries around the Lower Mainland, Expo 86 brought together a wide  variety of artists and artworks from across Canada and around the world. At the same time, the world’s fair attracted a wide range of parallel art exhibitions and initiatives. On Expo’s 40th anniversary, In the Shadow of the Pavilions: Expo 86 and Contemporary Art highlights some of the extraordinary art from around British Columbia’s Lower Mainland during Canada’s second world’s fair moment.

With close to 22 million visitors, over five and a half months, Expo 86 was one of the largest public events in Canadian history. Between May and October 1986, Expo brought together an unprecedented number of artists from a wide spectrum of disciplines and media. Yet, in comparison with Canada’s other major world’s fair, Expo 67, there has been very little examination of Expo 86 through its visual art.

“Expo 86, and the period that it existed within, was an incredibly dynamic time of art production in the Lower Mainland, the province of British Columbia, and Canada more broadly,” said exhibition curator, Jordan Strom. “The 1986 world’s fair brought together hundreds of artists from across the country and around the world. It also shaped a dynamic response and cultural flourishing from artists and curators around its edges. This exhibition seeks to bring these different currents and voices together.”

Through original artworks and archival materials, In the Shadow of the Pavilions: Expo 86 and Contemporary Art shines a light on some of the official art from the world’s fair, along with unofficial art and programming that coincided with this transformational event. The exhibition includes photography, painting, film, installation art, weavings, performance art, sculpture and video. These works examine a variety of themes including communication, transportation, urban development, Indigenous self-determination, and futurity from 1984 to 1988.

Exhibition: In the Shadow of the Pavilions: Expo 86 and Contemporary Art

The first of its kind, the exhibition provides an opportunity to re-evaluate the significance of art from Expo 86, and the larger context in which it took place. Featuring artworks and documentation by over 50 artists including: Kim Adams, Patrick Amiot, Ruth Beer, Randy & Berenicci, Randy Bradley, Marcus Bowcott, Nick Brdar, Hank Bull, Rebecca Burke, Wendy Christiansen, Kate Craig, Robert Davidson, Stephen Denslow, Beau Dick, Simon Dick, Christos Dikeakos, Michael de Courcy, Stan Douglas, Margaret Dragu, Rick Etkin, Lorraine Gilbert, Rodney Graham, Arni Haraldsson, Tony Ianzelo, Tim Jocelyn, Jeannie Kamins, Robert Keziere, Terry Larkin, Colin Low, Eric Metcalfe, Musqueam Weavers, Oraf, Art Perry, Edward Poitras, Richard Prince, Charles Rea, Bill Reid, Henri Robideau, Geoffrey Smedley, Debra Sparrow, Alan Storey, Colette Urban, Richard Tetrault, SITE, Michael Snow, John Watt, Hildegard Westerkamp, Anna Wong, Paul Wong, Alex Wyse, Xwalacktun, Elizabeth Vander Zaag.

Celebrate the launch of the Surrey Art Gallery’s spring exhibitions with the Take the Road to the Future Past: Art Party on April 18 from 6–9pm. The event begins with a conversation about art and Expo 86 with artists Hank Bull and Ruth Beer with Curator of Exhibitions & Collections Jordan Strom. Mustaali Raj will also speak to his exhibition Across the Fire, and Theremin Man, and Stephen Hamm will perform.

Exhibitions on view at the Gallery include Mustaali Raj: Across the Fire, an installation reimagining the dragon as a shared myth that transcends geography and storytelling, and Art by Surrey Elementary School Students, an exhibition sharing the importance and depth of art education in the Surrey School District.

About Surrey Art Gallery

Founded in 1975, Surrey Art Gallery presents contemporary art by local, national,
and international artists, including digital and audio art. Recognized for its awardwinning programs, the Gallery engages children through to adults in ongoing conversations that affect our lives and provides opportunities to interact with artists and the artistic process. The Gallery is located at 13750 88 Avenue in Surrey on the unceded territories of the Salish Peoples, including the q̓icə̓ y̓(Katzie), q̓ʷɑ:n̓ƛ̓ən̓(Kwantlen), and Semiahma (Semiahmoo) nations. Surrey Art Gallery gratefully acknowledges operating funding from the City of Surrey, Province of BC through BC Arts Council, Canada Council for the Arts, and the Surrey Art Gallery Association.