Expo 86 Exhibit at the Surrey Art Gallery
There’s a new exhibition that just opened at the Surrey Art Gallery and it’s the first to focus on the art of Expo 86. In The Shadow of the Pavilions: Expo 86 and Contemporary Art features original works and archival materials from 35 artist, examining some of the official art from the world’s fair, along with unofficial art and programming that coincided with this transformational event.
Expo 86 Exhibit at the Surrey Art Gallery
- Dates: April 18 to June 7, 2026
- May 9th Expo Lines: Art and Expo 86 – A Symposium
- May 28th Curator’s Tour with Jordan Strom
- Location: Surrey Art Gallery (13750 88 Ave, Surrey)
- Admission: Free
With close to 22 million visitors, Expo 86 was one of the largest public events in Canadian history. Between May 2nd and October 13, 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 never been an exhibition that has closely examined Expo 86 though its art.
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, Vancouver’s world’s fair, and the concurrent Vancouver’s Centennial celebrations, attracted a wide range of parallel art initiatives. On the occasion of Expo’s 40th anniversary, this exhibition highlights some of the extraordinary art from around British Columbia’s Lower Mainland during Canada’s second world’s fair moment.
There are works of photography, painting, installation art, performance art, and video examine themes of communication, transportation, urban development, resource extraction, Indigenous self-determination, from the years of 1984 to 1988.
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Related: 15 Nostalgic Photos of Expo 86
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