‘Every River Has a Mouth’: Salish art exhibition debuts in Vancouver

The Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Coast Art in Vancouver presents “Every River Has a Mouth,” open now through Feb. 14, 2027, marking the gallery’s first Salish-focused exhibition in nearly a decade.

Guest curated by Eliot White-Hill, known by his Coast Salish name Kwulasultun, the exhibition explores the aesthetic, cultural and linguistic connections between Coast and Interior Salish peoples whose territories are linked by the Fraser River. Bringing together 11 artists working across sculpture, printmaking, textiles, painting and mixed media, the exhibition positions Salish art as both deeply rooted and forward-looking.

Featured artists include renowned Coast Salish artist Susan Point and master weaver Angela Paul, alongside Danielle Morsette, Grace Edwards, James Harry, Ryza Marston, Manuel Axel Strain, Ocean Hyland, Paige Pettibon, Sydney Pascal and Taylor Baptiste.

“Every River Has a Mouth brings into focus the peoples and cultures of the territories on which the gallery is situated,” White-Hill said. “By creating this platform for Salish artists and sharing these stories, we contribute to the cultural resurgence and renaissance of Salish art and storytelling taking place right now.”

Historically marginalized and often overshadowed by Northern Northwest Coast art traditions such as those of the Haida and Tlingit, Salish art was mischaracterized in early anthropological texts, including Franz Boas’ 1897 publication “The Decorative Art of the Indians of the North Pacific Coast.” It wasn’t until the 1960s and 1970s that artists including Susan Point, Stan Greene, Simon Charlie, Charles Elliott and the Salish Weavers Guild began reclaiming and revitalizing traditional Coast Salish visual language, bringing broader recognition to its distinctive forms.

The exhibition title draws on layered meanings. In Hul’q’umi’num’, the word “qun” functions as a suffix meaning “language,” as in Snuneymuxwqun, the dialect spoken by White-Hill’s community. As a standalone word, “qun” means “throat.” The title also references the “mouth” of a river—where it meets a larger body of water—invoking the Fraser River as a connective “throat” that unites Interior and Coastal Salish territories through shared art, culture and language.

Among the highlights are Susan Point’s maple monoprint and jackets featuring original designs, as well as Sydney Pascal’s installation “t̓iqi sts̓úqwaoz̓a | the salmon have arrived,” a striking wall of tanned fish skins reflecting the cultural and ecological importance of salmon to Salish communities.

White-Hill, who previously collaborated with the gallery as an exhibiting artist in its 2022 exhibition “True to Place,” said the show seeks to honour both shared traditions and cultural distinctions. “I always try to push back against oversimplification of our Interior and Coastal cultures and instead revel in the complexities,” he said. “I hope young Salish artists see that their stories are meaningful and worth telling, and that whatever medium speaks to them is the way their stories are meant to be told.”

The exhibition is presented with support from the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority, representing the Port of Vancouver. A publication will be released in spring/summer 2026, and a series of public programs, including artist talks and workshops, will accompany the show.

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