Contemporary Canadian painting, portraits of artists from the Royal Collection, Scandinavian design, and the work of iconic West Coast artist Gordon Smith are all in the spotlight for the Vancouver Art Gallery's just-announced fall roster.

Entangled: Two Views on Contemporary Canadian Painting presents the work of 31 artists as a way of contrasting two different modes of painting, a form that's enjoying a resurgence in this country. Tracing their roots back to the 1970s, one mode posits that painting can be conceptual; the other emphasizing materials and process over concept. It will be on view September 30 to January 1, 2018. Artists include Stephanie Aitken, Marvin Luvualu António, Rebecca Brewer, Eric Fischl, Neil Harrison, Colleen Heslin, Jeremy Hof, John KIssick, Sandra Meigs, Jeffrey Spalding, Ron Terada, Nathalie Thibault, and Joyce Wieland. Entangled is curated by VAG senior curator Bruce Grenville with artist and Emily Carr University of Art + Design professor David MacWilliam. It will be accompanied by a 112-page publication.

From October 28 to February 4, 2018, look for Portrait of the Artist: An Exhibition from the Royal Collection, more than 80 self-portraits and portraits of artists from one of the most important collections in the world--springing out of a show that debuted at the Queen's Gallery in Buckingham Palace last year. 

On the same dates and offering  a contemporary compliment to the Royal show, Carol Sawyer: The Natalie Brettschneider Archive presents Sawyer’s ongoing project reconstructing the life and work of the fictional singer and artist. The photos, letters, paintings, films, and other works on view link Brettschneider to mid-20th-century artists and musicians in British Columbia.

October 21 to February 4, Gordon Smith sees a solo show called The Black Paintings, expresses his war experience through dense, dark, and abstracted imagery--imagery that contrasts his famous landscape work.

And design fans will flock to True Nordic: How Scandinavia Influenced Design in Canada, October 28 to January 28, spanning seven decades and featuring designers including Karen Bulow, Kjeld and Erica Deichmann, Thor Hansen, Niels Bendtsen, molo, Bocci, and many others. True Nordic is part of a touring exhibition organized by the Gardiner Museum and curated by Rachel Gotlieb and Michael Prokopow. Take in more than 100 prototypes, designer originals, and limited-edition and mass-produced wares.

Finally, New Delhi-based artist Asim Waqif will create the installation for VAG's Offsite location, repurposing debris from this city's ubiquitous demolition sites, November to April.