Last Chance to See Photographs of a Hidden Vancouver

Then and now, this art show displays the city through the lens of a prodigal son.

Greg Girard is best known for his images of modern-day Southeast Asia, where he lived and travelled extensively, beginning in the early 1970s. Since returning to Vancouver in 2011, he has been revisiting his early works, unearthing untouched contact sheets and developing them into new prints.These works provide a record of the city at once nostalgic and startling. They also show the beginnings of Girard’s own point of view: generally, subjects are on the margins or hidden from mainstream view (burlesque at the PNE; life in the pool halls, diners, and car lots of the Downtown Eastside).The evolution is ongoing, but many points on the path are here on display, these early pieces contrasted with more recent views of the city he left behind decades ago. Again, his eye has been taken by elements usually left out of Vancouver’s narrative as an international destination defined by towers of glass and natural beauty. Girard instead focuses on what keeps the city moving, chronicling the heavy industry still to be found on the docks.Greg Girard Running until Sept. 12 Monte Clark Gallery 525 Great Northern Way 604-730-5000 Monteclarkgallery.com