Arthur Erickson, Vancouver’s and arguably Canada’s most famous and influential architect had his major exhibition delayed from October 2005, until 2006. The reason for this was primarily explained as a lack of revenue and a move of caution on the part of Kathleen Bartels, Director of the Vancouver Art Gallery (VAG).
A CBC Life and Times documentary broadcast Erickson’s career in early February. In addition to postponing the Erickson show, the VAG cancelled an exhibition by internationally-renown sound and installation artist Janet Cardiff, who in 2001, was the first Canadian to ever win a top prize at the Venice Biennale. Suffice it to say, her exhibition will be posted on the Internet.
The VAG’s decision to feature Bruce Mau’s “Massive Change: The Future of Global Design” represents the gallery’s shifting priorities on the subject of promoting architecture and design. The show is an exhibition that examines how design is supposed to be changing the world. Curated by graphic designer Bruce Mau, the exhibition invites viewers to consider the dynamic future of design culture and the choices we must make. The show is meant "to present the new capacity, power and promise of design". Massive Change poses the question: "Now that we can do anything, what will we do?"
Massive Change will be the the most expensive exhibition in the history of the VAG, so the gallery might be a little more cautious than usual. It is supposed to include photographs, artifacts, computer simulations and lots of Mau’s trademark supergraphics.