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.

Sayeh Sarfaraz: Génération Sacrifiée

By translating political movements and uprising in Iran into "childlike, almost naive forms", and then combining them with images of menacing war-related objects, Montreal-based Sayeh Sarfaraz's simplistic yet jarring images draw conclusions on ideas of power and control. Rooted in a similar style to traditional Persian miniature paintings, Sarfaraz's ideas are expressed in a contemporary format with modern references. According to the artist's statement, these images "challenge us to fight against our docile loss of critical perspective." Génération Sacrifiée is on display at grunt gallery until November 28. 

Lili Reynaud-Dewar: My Epidemic (Teaching Bjarne Melgaard's Class)

Using a range of mediums including textiles, sculpture, text, performance, and video, Lili Reynaud-Dewar creates environments in which she examines how vulnerability and concealment lead to both exploitation and empowerment. By performing her own personal history influenced by transgressive cultural figures of the 20th century, she addresses various cultural traumas. Reynaud-Dewar will perform Bjarne Melgaard's seminiar, Beyond Death: Viral Discontents and Contemporary Notions about AIDS on October 23 and 24, where she'll be joined by artist Ramaya Tegegne. Her exhibition continues at SFU's Audain Gallery on October 23, 24, 30, and 31.

Mogens Vantore: A Vibrant Light

This exhibition of Uno Langmann's extensive collection of 20th century Danish painter Mogens Vantore's work is a retrospective of his career as a painter in the post-impressionist era. Langmann has been meticulously collecting Vantore's paintings for more than 40 years. Reminiscent of the works of Van Gogh and Cezanne, Vantore's (1895 - 1977) vibrant still life paintings invoke feelings of familiarity. A Vibrant Light will be at Uno Langmann Gallery until November 30. 

Charles Mayrs: An Exhibition

Charles Mayrs' wide array of mediums include paintings, photographs, drawings, poetry, graphic design, and limited edition letterpress books. His paintings depict humans in a wild and animalistic manner, while his figurative drawings are more toned down, showcasing not only the human body but also the mind within that body. Mayrs' landscape photographs use heavy contrast between light and shadow to create a drama that otherwise might not have been interpreted. Marys' work can be seen at Visual Space Gallery until October 30. 

Ryan Lundy: This Old Town

Using screen-printing techniques, Ryan Lundy, a ten-year screen printing veteran, transfers the images from photographs onto paper and wood panel using halftone techniques similar to that found in newspaper printing. Archival photographs of Vancouver's Downtown Eastside during the early 20th century show scenes of familiar locations that may seem a world apart from today's Vancouver, but Lundy implores the viewer to "place oneself in the spaces the prints depict" in order to create more tangible ties to the past. This Old Town is at Gam Gallery until November 22.