Salish culture is central in Every River Has a Mouth exhibition

The Bill Reid Gallery opens Every River Has a Mouth on February 14, featuring 13 artists from across the Salish world and guest curator Eliot White-Hill to highlight shared Coast Salish styles and connections.

Vancouver sits on unceded Squamish, Musqueam and Tsleil-Waututh land, and local Indigenous art has often spotlighted styles from other parts of the province. The Bill Reid Gallery, long associated with formline work from farther up the coast, is presenting Every River Has a Mouth to centre Salish art. Eliot White-Hill (Coast Salish name Kwulasultun; Nuu-chah-nulth name Kwaayas) is the guest curator. The exhibition opens February 14 and is the gallery's first show dedicated to Salish art since 2017. Key details: - Every River Has a Mouth opens February 14 at the Bill Reid Gallery and features 13 artists from across the Salish world. - Guest curator Eliot White-Hill emphasizes the connections across Coast and Interior Salish territories rather than political boundaries. - Works range from traditional regalia and paintings to contemporary installations, including Sydney Frances Pascal's tanned fish-skin installation and Danielle Morsette's woven regalia. - The exhibition highlights language and cultural continuity, noting Hulʼqʼumiʼnumʼ (the Island dialect) and the linguistic root ideas behind the show's title. - The show places renowned artists such as Susan Point and Angela George alongside emerging creators to show intergenerational exchange. Summary: The exhibition brings Salish art traditions and contemporary practice into focus at a major Vancouver institution, stressing cultural and linguistic links across regions. It opens on February 14 at the Bill Reid Gallery; plans beyond the opening are undetermined at this time.