Gallery Surf is the Straight's weekly feature showcasing some of Vancouver's must-see art gallery exhibits. Surf through the images and if you like what you see, check out the art IRL.

David Young and Frances Solar: An Exhibition

The work of photographer David Young and textile artist Frances Solar come together at this exhibition. Influenced by the zen belief that beauty and meaning can be found in everyday life, Young's photography consists of images of natural elements like reflections, driftwood, rock faces, and trees. Solar, a long-time weaver, began working with copper for its range of warm colours. The material's flexibility allows the artist to create sculptural forms that have no purpose other than to be seen as something beautiful. "It is very satisfying to transcend the inherent qualities of metallic materials often associated with weight and rigidity and create forms that are sensual and flowing,” Frances says of her work. Young and Solar's work can be viewed at District Foyer Gallery in North Vancouver until January 5.

Martin Arnold, Graham Gussin, J.Tobias Anderson, Jennifer and Kevin McCoy, Lauren Marsden, and Karen Lam: SCARY

This exhibition of video installations sees seven international artists deconstructing the horror genre and exploring the creation of uncanny spaces. The single channel video art pieces showcase areas of familiarity that have become unfamiliar by the injection of an element of "otherness". Hidden within the scenes we might know are secret qualities that take the scene from known to unknown. The work of these seven artists is on display in SCARY at the New Westminster New Media Gallery at the Anvil Centre until January 3. 

Wade Comer: Time Passages

Utilizing the lost art of 4x5 large format photography, Wade Comer takes long exposures that capture the landscape seen along the B.C. Ferries routes. He uses the same technique to photograph cityscapes along waterfronts, fusing boundaries between land, sea, and sky. These works are showcased in his "Mountains" and "Cities" collections, which he says can be seen as a 'before and after' of the effects that human presence has had on our surrounding area, tackling the subject of our impact on the environment over time. Time Passages is at Make Gallery until December 4. 

Aboriginal Women's Button Group: The Talking Cloth: Speaking Truth

The overnight drop-in for street-level survival sex trade workers at WISH Drop-In Centre operates a variety of programs, including an Aboriginal Women's Button Group. Having developed considerable pride in their cultural textiles, these women will be showcasing their work after they expressed interest in displaying their art and showing a different side of themselves and their community. Their exhibition of button blankets and textile art opens at Gallery Gachet on Saturday (November 7), and will be on available for viewing until December 13. 

Alison Keenan, Edward Peck, and Phyllis Schwartz: Telling Stories: The Connection Between Us

Three Vancouver artists of the BestB4 Collective come together in collaboration with six other artists to present photography, painting, ceramics, and installations that tell and evoke stories. The exhibition invites dialogue about contemporary questions between artists, the Chinese community, and other cultural groups. A timeless medium for teaching, entertaining, comforting, and connecting, the art of storytelling is compressed into instantaneous imagery. Guest artists and collaborators include Daphne Harwood, Sophi Liang, Jim Friesen, June Yun, Debra Sloan, and Colette Lissoway. Telling Stories: The Connection Between Us opens on Saturday (November 7) at the On-Tak Cheung Gallery at the Chinese Cultural Museum, and will be on display until December 19.