From 2016 to 2020, Z Gallery Arts operated a gallery programme in Vancouver, Canada, representing 12 international painters and ceramists. The gallery participated in art fairs in Miami — including the Miami Art Fair and Context Miami — and in New York, presenting artists to collectors across North America. The programme came to a close in 2020 when the pandemic made international fair participation impossible. The gallery continues today online, through the Porto Heli residency and seasonal workshop programme.
Xie Lei was among the first artists represented by Z Gallery Arts from its founding in Vancouver in 2016. His atmospheric, light-drenched oil paintings — dense with layered colour and charged with an interior quietness — were introduced to Canadian audiences and collectors through the Z Gallery Arts programme.
Xie Lei has since risen to become one of the most significant painters of his generation. His work is now represented by major galleries internationally and commands significant attention in the contemporary art market. Z Gallery Arts represented Xie Lei from 2016–2020 during its Vancouver contemporary art gallery programme; this page is maintained as part of the organization's historical exhibition archive, and Z Gallery Arts does not currently represent the artist.
Shadows in the Mirror — Z Gallery Arts presented Henni Alftan's first North American solo exhibition from 6 April to 8 May 2017. Fifteen original oil-on-canvas works were presented at Z Gallery Arts' former Vancouver gallery space during its 2016–2020 gallery programme. Alftan's figurative paintings — formally rigorous, intimately observed — were encountered by Canadian audiences for the first time through this exhibition.
Alftan (b. Helsinki, 1979; trained at École des Beaux-Arts de Paris and Edinburgh College of Art) has since achieved exceptional critical and institutional recognition. Her paintings are held in major public and private collections across Europe and North America. Z Gallery Arts represented Henni Alftan from 2016–2020 during its Vancouver contemporary art gallery programme; this page is maintained as part of the organization's historical exhibition archive, and Z Gallery Arts does not currently represent the artist.
| Period | Artist | Discipline & Practice | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 – | Xie Lei | Painting — China / Paris. Atmospheric oil paintings, layered colour, interior light. Former Represented Artist (2016–2020) — represented during the early phase of his international career. Now one of the most recognised painters of his generation. | Archive |
| 2017 | Henni Alftan | Painting — Finland / Paris. Solo exhibition Shadows in the Mirror, April–May 2017, Vancouver. Fifteen oil-on-canvas works. First North American solo. Now held in major collections globally including Helsinki Art Museum. | Archive |
| 2016 – | Ferle | Painting — Paris, France. Large-format abstract ink compositions on fine linen. Deep cobalt, burnt ochre, earth tones. Represented from the founding of the gallery. Ongoing engagement. | Ongoing |
| 2016 – | Natalia Trivino | Painting — Colombia / Rome. Figurative works exploring identity, memory, and the female body. Represented during the Vancouver programme. | Archive |
| 2018 – | Etienne Garceau | Painting — Canada. Works shown through the Z Gallery Arts programme and at the 2018 START Art Fair. Precise, meditative compositions. | Archive |
| 2019 | Kinu Kamura | Painting — Post Master, solo exhibition through June 2019. Works beginning with Instagram screenshots and arriving at questions of ancient philosophy and image-making. Shown at Z Gallery Arts, Vancouver. | Archive |
| 2016 – | ZhongwenYu | Painting / Works on paper — Represented through the Vancouver programme. | Archive |
| 2016 – | Jasmine Wallace | Painting — Represented through the Z Gallery Arts programme during the Vancouver gallery period. | Archive |
| 2016 – | Zohra Bonnis | Ceramics — Vancouver / Porto Heli, Peloponnese, Greece. Hand-built porcelain vessels, glaze research, moon jars. Founder of Z Gallery Arts. Works available by appointment and through the online gallery. | Ongoing |
"We represented artists we believed in absolutely — and the years have confirmed what we saw in them."— Zohra Bonnis, Founder, Z Gallery Arts Inc.
From 2016 to 2020, Z Gallery Arts participated in the Miami Art Fair, Context Miami, and New York Art Fair — presenting 12 represented artists to international collectors and institutions. The programme ended in 2020 with the onset of the pandemic.
Z Gallery Arts presented at Miami Art Fair during Art Basel Miami Beach week, showing works by Xie Lei, Henni Alftan, Ferle and represented painters to international collectors at the most important fair in the Americas.
Context Miami — a curated satellite fair running alongside Art Basel Miami Beach — provided a powerful platform for emerging voices in the Z Gallery Arts programme. Participated annually during the Vancouver gallery period.
Participation in New York's art fair circuit, bringing the Z Gallery Arts programme and represented artists to North American and international collectors. A key platform for the gallery's engagement with the primary market.
The gallery programme today: online, intimate, and committed to artists over time.
Z Gallery Arts no longer operates a physical gallery space. The programme continues online, through the ceramics and residency practice in Porto Heli, Greece, and through the seasonal workshop programme. New works by Zohra Bonnis and Ferle are made available through the online gallery and by appointment throughout the year.
Collectors and institutions wishing to enquire about works by any artist in the Z Gallery Arts programme — including works from the archive period — are welcome to write directly to the gallery.
Contact the GalleryZ Gallery Arts Inc. — Registered Canadian Corporation — Trademark Registered — Vancouver, BC, Canada — Founded 2016. All exhibition and representation activities are the exclusive property of Z Gallery Arts Inc. Artist names and biographical information are used with knowledge and agreement. Viewing by appointment only.