Greg Girard's Shadowy Vancouver
Greg Girard’s photographs of Vancouver taken in the 1970s and early 1980s show us the city’s final days as a port city.
By Guénola Pellen. Photos by Greg Girard.
Greg Girard is a Canadian photographer (b. 1955) who has spent much of his career in Asia. His work has examined the social and physical transformations in Asia, especially in its largest cities, for more than four decades.
Under Vancouver is a collection of his earliest photographs. They were taken before Greg Girard began earning a living as a magazine photographer—for National Geographic Magazine, the New York Times Magazine, Time, Fortune, the Sunday Times Magazine and others—, and established a formal practice as an artist.
Wandering the streets, living in cheap hotels, Girard photographed Vancouver’s cafes, pool halls, and the day and night working world of the city where he grew up. At the time, many of the downtown streets ended at the waterfront. Pawn shop windows displayed outboard motors, chainsaws and commercial fishing gear.
This work reveals an early interest in the hidden and overlooked, the use of color film at night, and extensive photographic research of a specific location, all of which became distinctive features of his art and practice.
Under Vancouver 1972-1982, published by The Magenta Foundation, is available at the price of $50.
A career retrospective of Greg Girard’s photographs spanning 50+ years will be presented from July 10 to October 25, 2026 at The Polygon Gallery (North Vancouver).
It will be accompanied by a major publication, produced by The Magenta Foundation.
