Celebrate the rich culture of Punjabi Canadians
Join acclaimed visual artist Jag Nagra and curator Jas Lally on this descriptive tour of murals in Vancouver’s Punjabi Market neighbourhood, the first and, at one time, largest Punjabi market in North America.
The tour will last about 75 minutes and cover a 2-block route from Main and E 49th Avenue that is fairly flat and accessible to public transit. Participants are invited to join us afterward for a social gathering with chai and samosas.
This event is offered free of charge. Sighted guides are available. Please register below or contact us for assistance at 604-364-5949 or info@vocaleye.ca
Presented with the kind assistance of the Punjabi Market Collective.
Tour Guides
Jag Nagra (she/her) is a queer Punjabi Visual Artist and community advocate who has a number of artworks in the Museum of Vancouver’s permanent collection and is a co-Founder of the Punjabi Market Collective—a non-profit working to revitalize Vancouver’s historic Punjabi Market commercial district.
Inspired by her Indian roots, Jag focuses her personal illustrations on South Asian concepts that depict a sense of confidence and fearlessness—she unapologetically celebrates darker skin tones and South Asian garments and motifs. She is also passionate about community development and ending the stigma against LGBTQ+ people within the South Asian community.
Jag’s colourful designs have been featured at the Indian Summer Festival, on street banners, murals, the Pride Stairs at Guildford Town Centre, Vancouver Canucks Diwali jerseys, Apple watch bands, skis, textiles and more.
Jas Lally (she/her) is a valued curator, art historian and arts professional with over 10 years of service to the Vancouver art community through organizations such at the Contemporary Art Gallery, Vancouver Art Gallery and Capture Photography Festival. Her skills as a curator focus on meaningful engagement with art and public programming outreach for a wide audience.
Over the past five years she has supported artists through volunteer positions on boards such as the Contemporary Art Society of Vancouver, Richmond Art Gallery Association and Residency Selection Committee Member for Burrard Arts Foundation. For the past three years, she has curated Murals in the Market through her role as Board Member at Large for the Punjabi Market Collective where she has woven a visual tapestry of present day voices steeped in history in the historic Punjabi Market in Vancouver.
Her independent practice and research focuses on contemporary artists from the South Asian diaspora in Vancouver. Through mentorship and consultation, Lally is building pivotal relationships with care, understanding and cultural recognition.
Resources
Introduced in 2021, Murals in the Market was the Punjabi Market Collective’s public art initiative to celebrate South Asian artists, racialized artists, artists of colour and the stories and history of Punjabi Market.
Vancouver’s Punjabi Market was the first and largest Punjabi market in North America. From humble beginnings, Main Street transformed into a cultural hub and was home of the first Punjabi-language street signs outside of Asia. At its peak, Punjabi Market was home to over 300 shops including 24 jewellery shops.
We gratefully acknowledge the support of Metro Vancouver’s Regional Cultural Project Grants program for making our descriptive tours possible this season, both online and in person.
