Instagram story viewer> @western_front> Posts

Western Front

@western_front

12.2K

followers

4359

following

Where art lives.
EXHIBITION: Saodat Ismailova 𝘖𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘓𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵
Sep 12 — Nov 28, 2026
Wed — Sat, 1:00 — 6:00 p.m.

POSTS STORIES REELS TAGGED

𝘕𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘴 𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘦-𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘬 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳

An assembly

Oct 29, 2026
6:30 p.m.
Western Front
with Skeena Reece

Oct 31, 2026
11:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
at Emily Carr University of Art + Design
with Jasleen Kaur, Christian Nyampeta & Kivu Ruhorahoza, Naufus Ramírez-Figueroa, and Constantina Zavitsanos

𝘕𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘴 𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 is a multi-modal, multi-sensory assembly that moves across disciplinary and institutional boundaries. Taking inspiration from polyphonic collectives and embodied ritual practices, it brings together the resonant works of Jasleen Kaur, Christian Nyampeta & Kivu Ruhorahoza, Naufus Ramírez-Figueroa, Skeena Reece, and Constantina Zavitsanos.

Drawing its title from a poem by Hafez Shirazi, 𝘕𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘴 𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 shifts attention away from representational discourse towards practices of embodiment, to accommodate emergent aesthetic forms in which song is lament, food is evidence, poetry is history, and objects speak.

Tickets and further info at link in bio.

This event is organized in support of  ECU 100, Emily Carr University of Art + Design’s centennial anniversary.  Presented with support from the Audain Foundation.

Organized by @libbyleshgoldgallery, @western_front, and the @ahvaubc, with additional support from the Audain Endowment for Curatorial Studies; @belkinartgallery; the Indigenous Strategic Initiatives Fund; @critical.image.forum; and the Curatorial Research Cluster at the University of British Columbia.

Co-curated by Susan Gibb (@susangibb_ ), Vanessa Kwan (@vakwan), and Sadia Shirazi (@sadiashirazi).
—
Images:
1. A graphic that reads "Night follows night, and the two and three-stringed instruments talk to each other. Oct 29 & 31, 2026. An assembly. Jasleen Kaur, Christian Nyampeta & Kivu Ruhorahoza, Naufus Ramírez-Figueroa, Skeena Reece, and Constantina Zavitsanos"
2. Portrait of Jasleen Kaur. Photo by Suzannah Pettigrew.
3. Portrait of Christian Nyampeta.
4. Portrait of Kivu Ruhorahoza.
5. Portrait of Naufus Ramírez-Figueroa. Photo by Lovis Ostenrik.
6. Portrait of Constantina Zavitsanos. A graphic that reads "Night follows night, and the two and three-stringed instruments talk to each other. Oct 29 & 31, 2026. An assembly. Jasleen Kaur, Christian Nyampeta & Kivu Ruhorahoza, Naufus Ramírez-Figueroa, Skeena Reece, and Constantina Zavitsanos" by @western_front

172

3

14 days ago

Join us for the opening event of 𝘕𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘴 𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘦-𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘬 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳.

Skeena Reece
𝘊𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘺 𝘊𝘰𝘤𝘬𝘭𝘦 𝘊𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘔𝘦𝘪𝘯
Thursday, Oct 29, 2026
6:30 p.m.
Admission by donation ($15–$35)

Conceived as a space for gathering, testimony, and witness, 𝘊𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘺 𝘊𝘰𝘤𝘬𝘭𝘦 𝘊𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘔𝘦𝘪𝘯 (2026) draws from the legacies and practices of the potlatch, and Reece’s Tsimshian, Gitxsan, Cree, and Métis heritage. Reece’s performance takes its title from a recipe testifying to the varied influences in Indigenous cuisine, as well as the reality that while white-owned businesses refused to serve Indigenous people well into the 1970s and 80s, Chinese restaurants did not.

Challenging ideas of authenticity, animating culinary objects, and tracing the movement of goods and people along colonial trade routes, Reece activates the shared table as a site of rest, remembrance, and connection. Here, food becomes a means of honouring elders and making space for experiences that exceed language.

Tickets via link in bio.

This event is organized in support of  ECU 100, Emily Carr University of Art + Design’s centennial anniversary.  Presented with support from the Audain Foundation.

Organized by @libbyleshgoldgallery, @western_front, and the @ahvaubc, with additional support from the Audain Endowment for Curatorial Studies; @belkinartgallery; the Indigenous Strategic Initiatives Fund; @critical.image.forum; and the Curatorial Research Cluster at the University of British Columbia.

Co-curated by Susan Gibb (@susangibb_), Vanessa Kwan (@vakwan), and Sadia Shirazi (@sadiashirazi). by @western_front

58

0

3 days ago

Join us for a multimodal, multisensory assembly that moves across disciplinary and institutional boundaries.

𝘕𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘴 𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘦-𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘬 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳
Oct 31, 2026
11:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

𝘕𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘴 𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 brings together the resonant works of Jasleen Kaur, Christian Nyampeta & Kivu Ruhorahoza, Naufus Ramírez-Figueroa, Skeena Reece, and Constantina Zavitsanos to consider emergent aesthetic forms in which song is lament, food is evidence, poetry is history, and objects speak.

This assembly creates space for practices of transtemporal interlocution, interruption, eruption, and prophecy. It asks: how can we move beyond exhibitionary formats towards spaces of polyvocal collaboration, plural assembly, and fugitive sociality?

Tickets via link in bio.
Students free | General admission $15–$35 sliding scale.

This event is organized in support of  ECU 100, Emily Carr University of Art + Design’s centennial anniversary.  Presented with support from the Audain Foundation.

Organized by @libbyleshgoldgallery, @western_front, and the @ahvaubc, with additional support from the Audain Endowment for Curatorial Studies; @belkinartgallery; the Indigenous Strategic Initiatives Fund; @critical.image.forum; and the Curatorial Research Cluster at the University of British Columbia.
—
Images:
2. Constantina Zavitsanos, 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 (2019), installation view, 𝘞𝘩𝘪𝘵𝘯𝘦𝘺 𝘉𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘢𝘭: 𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘉𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, 2024. Photo by Greg Carideo.
3. Detail of 𝘚𝘶𝘱𝘳𝘢 (2026), installation view, 𝘞𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘴, 𝘐𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘞𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘞𝘦, 59th Carnegie International, Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh, 2026. Photo by Zachary Riggleman.
4. Kivu Ruhorahoza and Christian Nyampeta, 𝘞𝘩𝘪𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴, 2025, video still.
5. Naufus Ramírez-Figueroa, digital drawing from 𝘚é𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘌𝘹𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘵 𝘚𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘉𝘪𝘳𝘥𝘴 (2011-ongoing). A graphic that reads “Night follows night, and the two and three-stringed instruments talk to each other. Part 2. Oct 31 2026. 11:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. at Emily Carr University of Art + Design.” by @western_front

65

0

2 days ago

Explore visualization and invocation as ways of forging connections across time and species.

Naufus Ramírez-Figueroa
𝘚é𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘌𝘹𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘵 𝘚𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘉𝘪𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘗𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘭𝘺 𝘜𝘯𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘣𝘺 𝘚𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘋𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘚𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘴𝘮
Oct 24, 2026
3:00–4:30 p.m.

In this workshop, Ramírez-Figueroa will guide participants through a collective visualization exercise that seeks to conjure the spirits of extinct birds. Through ritual, drawing, vocalization, and shared acts of imagination, participants will explore how we might listen beyond temporal and species boundaries, and how new auditory, linguistic, and artistic connections might emerge when direct access is no longer possible.

The performance will inform Ramírez-Figueroa’s presentation at 𝘕𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘴 𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘦-𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘬 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳, an assembly taking place @emilycarru on October 31, 2026.

Open to all; no previous experience in performance, drawing, or singing is required. The workshop involves scent, and all materials will be supplied.

Limited to 18 participants.

Admission by donation ($5–$10)
Tickets and more info at link in bio.
—
Image: Naufus Ramírez-Figueroa, digital drawing from 𝘚é𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘌𝘹𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘵 𝘚𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘉𝘪𝘳𝘥𝘴 (2011–ongoing). by @western_front

35

2

a day ago

The many moods of...

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘓𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵 premieres on Saturday, October 17, 2026, featuring 12 local musicians performing a 100-minute version of the piece with 3 staggered, overlapping quartets.

The musicians are Khalil Alomar (synth), Julie Andreyev (theremin), Héloïse Auvray (electric bass with ebow), Adrian Avendaño (percussion), Jaiden Christie (violin), Anat Elkayam (electronics), Elisa Ferrari (prepared zither with ebow), JT Gladysz (synth), Sam Meadahl (lap steel), Alvaro Rojas (guitar), Nikko Whitworth (double bass), and Rafael Zen (electronics)

Performance Time:
Oct 17 2026 at 8:00 p.m.

Location:
Grand Luxe Hall, Western Front
303 East 8th Avenue, Vancouver, BC

Admission:
By donation (suggested $15–$35)

Tickets:
Link in bio or story taken in Beaver Lake, Stanley Park by @western_front

42

2

2 days ago

A look inside rehearsals for Joda Clément's 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘓𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵, premiering Saturday, Oct 17, 2026 at 8:00 p.m.

Twelve Vancouver musicians perform a 100-minute durational score of sustained tones, gradual pitch movement, silence and extended listening.

In development since 2021, the work grows out of recordings Clément made at Beaver Lake in Stanley Park. It explores how pitch, amplitude, timbre and duration relate to space and to the act of listening.

On synth, theremin, electric bass, percussion, violin, electronics, prepared zither, lap steel, guitar and double bass: Khalil Alomar, Julie Andreyev, Héloïse Auvray, Adrian Avendaño, Jaiden Christie, Anat Elkayam, Elisa Ferrari, JT Gladysz, Sam Meadahl, Alvaro Rojas, Nikko Whitworth and Rafael Zen.

Admission by donation ($15–$35)
Tickets at link in bio.

Presented with support from the SOCAN Foundation @socanfdn. by @western_front

94

3

10 days ago

Introducing the artist behind 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘓𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵: Joda Clément.

Joda Clément is a sound artist and composer whose work explores the phenomenology of sound in space as musical material, utilizing analogue and acoustic instruments, field recordings, and feedback to carefully construct transportive listening conditions. His work often transcends distinctions between sound, site, and source, inviting listeners to reconnect with the world in a meaningful and deliberate way.

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘓𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵 premieres on Saturday, Oct 17, 2026 at 8:00 p.m.

Tickets available at link in bio.
—
Image: Portrait of Joda Clément at Beaver Lake in Stanley Park. Joda Clement takes a close-up selfie at Beaver Lake in front of reeds lit by the setting sun. He wears a cap and a dark collared shirt with a small pink flamingo print, and he smiles slightly. Behind him on the right, the low sun shines through a line of evergreen trees and sends rays and lens flare across the frame. The sky is pale blue. by @western_front

100

2

17 days ago

Under what conditions do observed phenomena become legible as compositional material?

Joda Clément
𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘓𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵
Oct 17, 2026
8:00 p.m.

In development since 2021, 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘓𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵 draws on recordings made at Beaver Lake in Stanley Park, translating relationships among pitch, amplitude, timbre, and duration into a performance framework. Rather than reproducing a sonic environment, Clément considers how sound behaves in relation to space, site, and listening.

Twelve local musicians perform a 100-minute durational score of sustained tones, gradual pitch movement, silence, and extended listening. Arranged as three staggered quartets, the performance explores the relationships between silence and simultaneity.

Admission by donation ($15–$35)
Tickets and more info at link in bio.

Presented with support from SOCAN Foundation (@socanfdn).
—
Image 3: Beaver Lake in Stanley Park, Vancouver. Courtesy of Joda Clément. A graphic that reads "Joda Clément. The Beaver Lake Project. Oct 17, 2026. 8:00 p.m. Performance" by @western_front

149

6

18 days ago

Western Front is thrilled to introduce two new members to our Board of Directors — Yasmin Amaratunga and Eric Fredericksen.

Both join our board following an open call in mid 2026, and will commence their duties in late September, 2026. We look forward to the diverse experience and leadership they will bring to the governance of Western Front.

Learn more about our new board members via the link in bio.
—
1. A graphic of an unrolled scroll upon which the words "WESTERN FRONT LODGE" are printed in a bold font.
2. Portrait of Yasmin Amaratunga.
3. Portrait of Eric Fredericksen. Courtesy of Nic Latulippe. A graphic of an unrolled scroll upon which the words "WESTERN FRONT LODGE" are printed in a bold font. by @western_front

94

2

21 days ago

Join us for a free talk by curator Suzy Halajian.

Oct 7, 2026
3:30 p.m.
Reliance Theatre,
Emily Carr University of Art + Design

Halajian’s curatorial practice explores how ideas develop through time, relationships, and sustained attention. As Executive Director & Chief Curator of @joanlosangeles, she brings exhibitions into dialogue with film, performance, publishing, and discursive practices.

She will discuss her ongoing collaboration with artist Saodat Ismailova, from 𝘖𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘛𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘋𝘢𝘷𝘳𝘢 𝘙𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘩 𝘊𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 at JOAN in 2024 to 𝘖𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘓𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵, currently on view at Western Front.

She will also speak about 𝘈 𝘎𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘮𝘢𝘳 𝘉𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘙𝘰𝘤𝘬𝘴, an independent curatorial and publishing project that traces racialized and gendered relationships between bodies and land. The project considers how cultural practices might respond to histories of dispossession and ongoing socioecological crisis, while imagining alternative ways of being together in place.

The talk invites reflection on the possibilities and challenges of building responsive, artist-centred structures that can sustain experimentation, collaboration, and critical exchange over time.

Presented with Art Forums at @emilycarru and @fillip.ca, with support from the Audain Foundation.
—
Image: Portrait of Suzy Halajian. A graphic that reads "Oct 7, 2026. 3:30 p.m. Talk by Suzy Halajian. At Reliance Theatre Emily Carr University of Art + Design" by @western_front

64

4

22 days ago

Tune in next Wednesday, Sep 23 at 1:00 p.m. PDT to @montezpressradio, broadcasting from New York, for the world premiere of the 𝘙𝘦𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘭 𝘝é𝘳𝘪𝘵é: 𝘝𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘢 audio book, read by yours truly, @brunozhu of A Maior.

The second novella from A Maior emerged from workshops at Western Front in February 2025 where participants collectively generated a supernatural murder mystery through improvisation, LARPing, and exquisite corpse-style writing exercises. Now, this Western Front best seller (according to us) has been narrated for your listening pleasure.

Set in a fictional strip mall in Marpole, the novella drifts through commerce, fashion, and popular culture, taking contemporary retail life as its setting, subject, and possibly, alibi.
—
Images/video:
1. Courtesy of Montez Press Radio
2. Bruno Zhu at Western Front. Camera by Kiel Torres.
3. Bruno Zhu at Western Front. Photo by Kiel Torres. by @western_front

67

2

a month ago

Saodat Ismailova’s 𝘖𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘓𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 is now on view at Western Front.

Bringing together 𝘔𝘦𝘭𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘶𝘯 (2024) and 𝘛𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘛𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘢𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘶𝘯 (2026) in a site-specific installation, the exhibition explores light as a political and spiritual force through which history, memory, and myth are continually remade.

Rooted in the layered histories of Central Asia, the films draw on oral traditions, cosmologies, archival material, and filmed landscapes, moving between past, present, and future.

Thank you to everyone who came out to the opening and helped us welcome the exhibition to Western Front. We are especially grateful to Saodat Ismailova for bringing this work to Vancouver and to Suzy Halajian, the exhibition’s curator, for bringing the project together.

And a special thank you to @tashkent.rest for the amazing food and for bringing the flavours of Uzbekistan to the evening.

𝘖𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘓𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 continues through Nov 28, 2026.
Wed – Sun, 1:00 – 6:00 p.m.
The films screen consecutively every hour on the hour.
Free admission.

@saodatismailova
@suzymh__
@joanlosangeles
—
Image: 𝘚𝘢𝘰𝘥𝘢𝘵 𝘐𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘢: 𝘖𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘓𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵, installation view, Sep 12 – Nov 28, 2026. Photo by @dennisha.photo. by @western_front

305

2

a month ago