Japanese woodblock exhibit takes visitors beyond the familiar in Victoria
Published 5:00 pm Tuesday, September 15, 2026
An exhibition celebrating the spirit of travel – both physical and imaginative – takes visitors to the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria along hidden paths this fall.
On the Road: Journeys through Japanese Woodblock Prints takes visitors on a tour of landscapes and scenes captured in Japanese woodblock prints beginning on Oct. 3.
“I hope visitors will see these prints as more than beautiful landscapes. They are also records of memory and imagination. They speak to a deeply human impulse: to go beyond the familiar, to encounter the world from another angle, and to find that travel can also become an inward journey,” said Dr. Heng Wu, AGGV curator of Asian art.
The AGGV has the largest public collection in British Columbia, including the most important collection of Asian art in Western Canada. For more than 80 years, its collection of Japanese art has grown through the philanthropy of donors and the community. In particular, the Japanese woodblock prints are a major collection highlight, encompassing thousands of works from the 17th century through to the modern era.
Travel and famous scenic locations were recurring themes in Japanese printmaking, as journeys along major roads including the Tōkaidō or views of Mount Fuji resonated deeply with the Edo-period fascination with exploration, pilgrimage, and the changing seasons. By bringing together prints from the gallery collection that depict these celebrated routes and scenes, the exhibition highlights how travel has long inspired artistic expression and fostered a shared sense of place.
Inspired by the travel scenes, hidden paths, and landscapes in On the Road: Journeys through Japanese Woodblock Prints, the AGGV invites the public to Family Sunday, Impressions from the Road on Oct. 18 from 2 to 4 p.m.
Families will explore new ways to create with local designer and printmaker Rio Kaneki. Family Sunday is included with AGGV admission or membership.
Visit aggv.ca for more.
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