Gallery Surf is the Straight's weekly feature showcasing must-see art gallery exhibits that are opening this weekend. Surf through the images and if you like what you see, check out the art IRL.

Deborah Philipp: Liquid Motion

In this exhibition, painter Deborah Phillip will showcase a series of works that she created in 2015 after spending the summer on Vancouver Island surrounded by the area's ocean, rivers, and lakes. "I wanted to create paintings that reflected that experience--the wonders of the ocean, being out there away from everything, exploring and just taking it all in," says Phillip in an artist statement. Phillip's lively abstract paintings employ broad strokes, narrow drips and rich shades of blue, evoking feelings of movement. In some, the paint comes to life as fish and other sea creatures seem to jump off the canvas. Liquid Motion will be presented at Wendel Gallery from April 7 to 24. An opening reception will be held on April 9 (Friday) from 6 to 9 p.m.

 Chris Shepherd: Construct

As part of the Capture Photography Festival, artist Chris Shepherd will exhibit a new photo series called Construct. The series of images comes from his employing of techniques like cutting, shredding, tearing, folding, and crumpling photographic prints, and then rearranging and reconfiguring them into sculptural forms. Following the construction of these figures, Shepherd photographed them for the series of images in the exhibit. His project is said to allow the viewer to "reevaluate the conventional language of photography" by making things like memory, nostalgia, and documentation secondary to the forms depicted. Construct will be on display at Bau-Xi Gallery from April 9 to 23. An opening reception will be held on April 9 from 2 to 4 p.m.

Wendy D.: SCREAM

Photographer Wendy D. has spent 10 years exploring the scream. The project first began in 2005 when a fellow artist expressed the need to scream. She captured the process, and was surprised not only by the subject's reaction, but her own response to photographing the act. "That got me thinking about the complexities of scream both as an individual act and the constraints society imposes on the expression of it," says the artist in a statement. Through this project, the artist captures both the vulnerability and transparency of more than 200 subjects. SCREAM will be presented as part of the Capture Photography Festival at Mainspace Gallery from April 8 to 14. An opening reception will be held on April 8 from 5 to 10 p.m.

Burnaby School District students: Arts Alive 2016

Arts Alive, an annual showcase of artwork by Burnaby students, returns the Burnaby Art Gallery from April 8 to May 8. Held in collaboration with the Burnaby School District, this exhibit includes works by students selected from eight schools throughout the city. It has been running successfully for more than 30 years. 

Various artists: Germinal

In this exhibit, three different artist groups delve into the idea of what makes a hybrid. These aritsts create work that will allow viewers to observe, experience, and become hybrid through "immersive environment of monumental video, ethereal sound and interactive sculpture". A hybrid is described as both a singularity and a division; two different systems, bodies, or ways of thinking that are strangely made one; a signal of conflict or progress. The hybrids in Germinal "inhabit strange, poignant, and fantastical worlds." Artists include Matthew Suib and Nadia Hionaka (Philadelphia), Santiago Lara and Beatriz Coto (Madrid), Suhee Kim (Korea), and Oliver Smith (London). Germinal will be held at New Media Gallery in New Westminster from April 7 to June 5.