The Capture Photography Festival continues to dominate gallery and coffee shop walls, street corners, retail stores and billboards around town, positioning itself as a pivotal gathering for both photography aficionados and novices alike by merging traditional film and digital media into a city-wide celebration of visual art.

The 2024 edition of Capture highlights a broad range of lens-based art from both new and seasoned artists, accompanied by a series of tours and talks. Given the packed schedule, we recommend using the festival calendar — which breaks down Exhibitions, Public Art and Events by day — to plan your plan strategically. In order to make the most of the festival over the week/weekend ahead, here are our top five picks to add to your itinerary:

This week we encourage you to check out:

Sehnsucht | Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden

Opening today (Thursday, April 18th), Jennilee Marigomen’s photography exhibition focuses on the transient elements of daily life, spotlighting the fleeting and often unnoticed beauty all around us. Utilizing light, reflections, and rich colours, her images foster a contemplative environment underscoring the fragile equilibrium between motionlessness and the flow of time within the natural world. The series, named Sehnsucht after the German word for “longing”, captures a spectrum of emotions from hope to sorrow as it addresses the intricate interactions between humans and the environment, stressing our responsibility to safeguard its beauty amid ecological adversities. The opening reception for Sehnsucht is happening tonight from 5-7pm, with both the artist and curator (Sam Shem) on site. This show runs through to July 17th, 2024. DETAILS

Snack Sakura | Monte Clark Gallery

This weekend, definitely hit the opening reception for the Selected Exhibition Snack Sakura, featuring new photographs taken in Japan from 2017 to 2023 by Greg Girard. Girard’s extensive photo project captures the unique beauty of Japanese “snack” bars, from Okinawa to Hokkaido. Through vivid imagery of glowing signs, empty streets, and patrons engaged in karaoke, Girard offers a compelling look into the nocturnal life of these establishments, highlighting their role in Japan’s cultural geography. The reception happens on Saturday, April 20th, from 12-5pm, with the artist in attendance. DETAILS

Unit Bruises | Richmond Art Gallery
Even though it kinda gives me the shivers, morbid curiosity is the pull to check out the Unit Bruises show at the Richmond Art Gallery. From Capture: “Unit Bruises brings together the works of two Chinese Canadian conceptual artists active during the 1970s: Theodore Sasketche Wan (b. 1953; d. 1987) and Paul Wong (b. 1954). By mobilizing their respective bodies and the visual languages of medical and procedural illustrations, both artists subverted the notions of objectivity that have been naturalized through such hegemonic imagery.” Catch this on Saturday afternoon to participate in an informal tour and artist talk, from 2-3pm, followed by an Opening Reception at 4pm. Something is telling me that the extra context will be useful! DETAILS

Downtown Alleys | Photo Walk
Eke some time out of your Saturday morning schedule to tag along on an Alley Walk. From Capture: “Alleys are great subjects for photography, because — unlike the “public”, alluring street side — they are public spaces where we can view the “private” side of houses and shops, which are practical, unpretentious, and style is secondary. These rear spaces can be coolly disorganized, patched up, and justifiably messy. They don’t include seemingly “beautiful” things, but they do offer interesting things and scenes to capture with our cameras.” Super into it. DETAILS

Otherwise Disregarded| Audain Art Museum (Whistler)
Honestly, if I can slip out of town for the weekend, then I’m for sure hitting this curatorial tour at Audain in Whistler. If you are able to get away yourself, or you already plan on being up that way, then we suggest you do too! Emmy Lee Wall (Executive Director and Chief Curator of the Capture Photography Festival), along with Kiriko Watanabe (Curator of Audain Art Museum), will be leading a daytime tour of the Otherwise Disregarded exhibition on Sunday, April 21st. This special event features a breakfast reception at 10am, followed by a tour and panel discussion at 11:30am, involving participants from Adad Hannah’s exhibition, What Fools These Mortals Be. The show, which highlights critical themes of colonial injustice, social discrimination and environmental devastation, aims to provoke thoughtful consideration of the world’s current socio-political and environmental challenges. DETAILS