MATERIAL ENCOUNTERS IN THE ROGER LEE GALLERY OF ASIAN ART: AMBER
‘When a tiger dies, its soul (spirit) penetrates into the earth, and is a stone. This object resembles amber, and is therefore called hupo (琥珀) (‘tiger’s soul’). [i]
HISTORY OF THE AGGV JAPANESE ART COLLECTION
This Fall, the Gallery will present the exhibition, On the Road: Journeys Through Woodblock Prints, curated by Dr. Heng Wu, AGGV Curator of Asian Art. This exhibition will feature approximately 100 woodblock prints from the AGGV Permanent Collection, inviting viewers to journey through the landscapes and scenes from the Edo period and beyond. Developed over 80 years, the AGGV has the largest public art collection in BC, strengthened by the most important collection of Asian art in Western Canada. This article delves into the beginnings of the Japanese art collection at the AGGV and one of its principal benefactors, Isabel Pollard. Written by Anu Henderson, AGGV Partnership Specialist.
FAMILY VISITS
You are warmly invited to visit with some of the many families represented in the permanent collection. Drawn from recent acquisitions, Family Visits, co-curated by Toby Lawrence, AGGV Curator of Contemporary Art and Dr. Heng Wu, AGGV Curator of Asian Art, explores varied ideas of kinship through pieces created by over 40 artists who work across a range of geographies and genres, including drawing, painting, photography, print-making, textiles, and sculpture. At some points the familial connections are very conventional, such as the portrait of AGGV’s first director Colin Graham with his son James, drawn by Myfanwy Pavelic whose Spencer family donated the mansion currently housing the Gallery. But considerations of family in this exhibition expand well beyond immediate relations to reflect on the networks of support found in local communities, diasporas, plants, animals, and ancestors.
FROM BRUSH TO BLOCK
From Brush to Block is a concise, captivating presentation by AGGV Curator of Asian Art, Dr. Heng Wu. It brings together pairs of works on paper by two Meiji-era Japanese artists, Imao Keinen (1845-1924) and Kono Bairei (1844-1895). Each pair consists of a hand-painted design, and a corresponding woodblock print based precisely on the painting. The exhibition offers a unique opportunity to consider the relationship between medium and image. It allows for close observation of how small details necessarily change, and how intangible aspects such as the way image ‘feels’ might shift when rendered with different techniques.
MORAL RESONANCE IN BRUSH AND INK: AN ANALYSIS OF AN EXPRESSIVE BAMBOO PAINTING
Recently, at the invitation of the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria (AGGV), I attended the opening of the exhibition Fifty Shades of Ink: Ink Paintings from the AGGV Collection. Curated by Dr. Heng Wu, Curator of Asian Art at the AGGV, the exhibition draws upon the Gallery’s permanent collection to explore the expressive capacities and historical depth of ink painting across different periods and cultural contexts. By He Xiang (Shawn Xiang He).
FIFTY SHADES OF INK HIGHLIGHT: LACQUERED WRITING BOX
The Art Gallery of Greater Victoria is renowned for holding one of the largest collections of Asian art in Canada. Over my two decades of visits, I have repeatedly been drawn to the depth and quality of their works. By Anthony Wu.
WINTER EXHIBITION CELEBRATION: A COLLECTIVE INSPIRATION
Marking a resonant start to the new year, the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria welcomed over 400 people—artists, patrons, community members, and more—to celebrate a new season of exhibitions on January 16, 2026.