An exhibition in celebration of the Day of the Dead is the first for a new gallery in town.
TreeRoot Gallery and Studios is a new 2000 square foot space in an industrial area of Maple Ridge.
Michael Bruins, owner and operator of the gallery, says the mission of his gallery and studio is to form new healthy expressions of community and culture.
This weekend, in partnership with the local Mexican community his gallery is featuring a free Dia de los Muertos exhibition where the space will be transformed into a cemetery and altars to present offerings to the dead.
More than 100 of hours of preparation went into the exhibition, said Bruins, adding that it will be full of colour.
It’s more like an art exhibition where the entire space is the exhibition,” he said, and it will give visitors a taste of authentic Mexican tradition.
The gala opening takes place Saturday, Oct. 30, from 4-8 p.m. when members of the community who helped create the installation will be speaking about it.
There will also be posters and educational material for people to learn about the traditional elements of the installation.
At the back in the studio area the Pixar movie Coco will be playing.
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And in between the gallery and studio, Bruins will be adding some Dutch flavour in honour of his late grandmother. Here visitors will be able to enjoy a game of Sjoelbak, or Dutch shuffleboard.
“It’s really designed for people to come and go and just to come and to observe,” said Bruins.
TreeRoot Gallery is located in unit 102 at 20285 Stewart Crescent, in Maple Ridge.
The exhibit is open until Nov. 6.
For more information go to michaelbruins.com.
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