A Lunar New Year lantern at Granville Island says something about Arty Guava, the artist who created the design. Wild Symphony celebrates the arrival of the Year of the Horse with a couple of these four-legged creatures galloping atop a mountain ridge. But horses aren’t the only animals featured in this lush and vibrant setting. There is giant white bird flying above. Lower down, she included a tiger behind a plant and a snake slithering along the ground.
In an interview beside the lantern, Guava tells Pancouver that animals exist in harmony with the rest of the environment. So that’s why she didn’t simply illustrate horses in isolation.
“The tropical environment is definitely reminiscent of where I come from—Malaysia,” Guava says. “So you see a little bit more of a tropical aesthetic. I think that always comes through in my work naturally, without me thinking about it.”
Wild Symphony is one of six Lunar New Year lanterns in the Forever Young exhibition outside of Ocean Artworks on Granville Island until March 8. Forever Young includes a lantern designed by Danvic Briones and four others created through Arts Umbrella and the Eastside Arts Society’s Studio 101 program.
The Asian-Canadian Special Events Association also curated other Lantern City exhibitions at šxʷƛ̓ənəq Xwtl’e7énḵ Square (north plaza in front of the Vancouver Art Gallery), Pendulum Gallery, Robson Plaza, and the Bentall Centre.
This marks the second time that Guava’s work has been featured on a lantern welcoming the Lunar New Year. In 2023, her depiction of a tropical paradise, The Eve, was part of The Lantern City exhibition in šxʷƛ̓ənəq Xwtl’e7énḵ Square.
Guava was born on Penang Island, which has a population slightly larger than that of Vancouver. She studied bio-engineering in Singapore before transitioning into the advertising world. She rose to the position of art director at Ogilvy Singapore before immigrating to Vancouver.
Her artistic practice encompasses digital art, traditional painting, large-scale murals, and digital art installations. On her website, Guava says that her art “embodies a sense of joy and positivity that reflects her passion for life and her love for the world around her”.
Since moving to Vancouver, she has created vibrant outdoor murals in Vancouver’s Chinatown, the Cambie Village, and the River District, as well as in Burnaby, Richmond, and Coquitlam.
“I’m in a very exploratory phase in my work,” Guava tells Pancouver. “I’m just trying to push myself and see how I can continue to evolve my aesthetic.”
The Asian-Canadian Special Events Association is presenting Forever Young beside Ocean Artworks on Granville Island until March 8. Discover more about The Lantern City exhibitions, visit the website. Learn more about Arty Guava by visiting her website. Follow Pancouver on X @PancouverMedia and Instagram @PancouverMedia.
