Sidney and Gertrude Zack Gallery

EXHIBITIONS & EVENTS

*(L): “The Awakening” by Suzy Birstein; (R): “Spring Chill” by June Yun*

Myth & Stillness

Suzy Birstein and June Yun

July 23 – August 25

ART DISCUSSION: Wednesday, August 20, 5:30-7:30pm

June Yun and Suzy Burstein in conversation
Facilitated by Sarah Dobbs, Curator

We warmly invite you to join us for an inspiring and engaging conversation with these two incredible artists as they offer a unique glimpse into their creative worlds!

I have an affinity, in temperament and truth-telling, for artists such as Frida Kahlo, Leonora Carrington, and Tamara de Lempicka – women who broke the mold and created their own myths from their complicated lives, transforming adversity into artistic freedom. (Suzy Burstein)

During the past decade, water, clouds and flowers are the predominant subjects of her art. They are metaphors conveying aesthetics: simplicity, tranquility, mistiness and solitude. Oriental people’s perception and admiration of water has helped form the wisdom of the East. (June Yun)

ABOUT THE EXHIBIT

Myth & Stillness unites Suzy Birstein’s vivid figurative sculptures with June Yun’s serene paintings, showcasing two artistic responses to inner landscapes shaped by memory and change. Birstein reimagines iconic women artists like Frida Kahlo and Leonora Carrington as mythic figures in clay, adorned with symbolic details that celebrate feminine creativity and resilience. In contrast, Yun’s quiet, minimalist paintings use motifs like water and blossoms to evoke calm and clarity.
The works explore how women navigate the world as powerful paths to freedom, whether through myth-making or stillness.

*(L): “Crossing” by Jenny Judge; (R): “Shattered” by Eric Goldstein*

String Theory

Jenny Judge and Eric Goldstein

August 27 – September 22
ARTIST RECEPTION: Thursday, August 28, 6-8pm
String Theory brings together two artists exploring connection, transition, and the unseen forces that shape our world. Judge’s drawings map emotional and physical landscapes between Canada and New Zealand, while Goldstein’s mixed-media works interpret the invisible vibrations of quantum string theory.
They invite reflection on how place, memory, and matter intertwine, linking the personal with the universal.

Songs Of Deliverance

Michal Tkachenko

September 25 – November 10
ARTIST RECEPTION: Thursday, October 23, 6-8pm
Drawing inspiration from Psalms 23 and 139, Tkachenko’s paintings of sheep in pastoral landscapes act as powerful symbols of purity, vulnerability, loss, and hope, while the landscapes themselves root these ideas in cultural, political, and emotional terrains. Together, they form a visual narrative in Songs of Deliverance that speaks to the universal longing for rescue, belonging, and meaning.

*(L): “Avianima II” by Pilar Mehlis (R): “Ferry Deck with Bench” by Gillian Richards*

Into The Light

Pilar Mehlis & Gillian Richards

November 13 – January 5, 2026
ARTIST RECEPTION: Thursday, November 13, 6-8pm
In this shared exhibition,Gillian Richards and Pilar Mehlis offer two perspectives on illumination. Richards’ paintings offer the viewer to explore the illuminating light on the still corners of city life. Mehlis, follows the light across continents through instinct and memory. “Into the Light” becomes a metaphor for finding meaning in movement and stillness alike, for seeing not just with the eyes but with experience, reflection, and emotional truth.

Pandora’s Collective & Sidney and Gertrude Zack Gallery Presentation
Sponsored by the Yosef Wosk Foundation

Poets will respond with original work inspired by the current art exhibits on display. Please bring paper and pen. There will be an open mic time when the audience will have an opportunity to write and read poems relating to the exhibit. Free admission.

Tuesday, September 16, 6:30pm – 8:00pm
Featured Poets: Natasha Boskic, Sho Wiley, Una Bruhns and JC Cortens
Host: Bonnie Nish

Past Exhibit

CHIM’s Photojournalism: From War to Hope (April 22 to June 15, 2025)
View Photo Book | Exhibit Highlights Video

CALL FOR EXHIBITION PROPOSALS 2026 SEASON

The Sidney and Gertrude Zack Gallery at the JCC of Greater Vancouver invites artists to submit proposals for exhibitions in 2026. Proposals can be for solo, two person or group exhibitions. Find out more

THE GALLERY IS LOOKING FOR DOCENTS

The Docent Program will be a group of trained volunteers who function as part-time gallery docents. Those interested in being docents will be trained by the Gallery Director in late summer or early fall, and, once trained, will receive a briefing on all exhibits. Docents will average one four-hour shift a week. A docent calendar will be managed by the Gallery Director. Email gallery@jccgv.bc.ca for more information, and to sign up to participate.

STAY IN TOUCH

Please email gallery@jccgv.b.ca for any information, or if you’d like to be on our email list.

COPYRIGHT

Each artist owns the copyright in his/her respective images. These images may not be copied, modified, duplicated or used in any way without the express prior written consent of the artist.

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