October 25, 2025 – January 04, 2026
Commercial St.
Artist Samuel Roy-Bois
Image by: Sean Fenzl
House is a feeling. A thing to which other things are added.
-Peter Culley
For Commercial St., artist Samuel Roy-Bois has created a series of artworks that directly respond to the vibrant street where Nanaimo Art Gallery is located. Drawing inspiration from architecture and streetscape elements, large wooden sculptures echo Commercial Street’s built environment—the street’s layout, a vanished window, and a cairn that has recently been removed—as well as aspects of its social dynamics and commercial exchanges. Roy-Bois has collaborated with local artists and businesses to engage in what he calls a sculptural conversation—building community connections that transcend physical boundaries.
Through these relationships, Roy-Bois brings new elements into play with his sculptural forms. These include a drinking glass borrowed from Mon Petit Choux cafe, a record chosen by the artist and one recommended by Steve Lebitsching from Fascinating Rhythm, antique and imported objects from Steven Johns of Red Shelf Decor, and a shirt bought, and one borrowed, from Rumours Vintage Collective. Commercial St also includes artistic contributions by Bronwyn Arundel from Nanaimo Ceramic Arts, graffiti artist Doktoer, and photographs by David Spearing courtesy of Nanaimo Archives. The exhibition is accompanied by new writing from Canadian poet, essayist, and novelist Lisa Robertson.
The artworks and objects in this exhibition reflect the everchanging network of events, individuals, and materials present on Commercial Street, brought together through playful interactions, coalescing in sculptural form. Commercial St. is the final exhibition through which we ask How can we play together?
Watch this video to learn about Commercial St. from Samuel Roy-Bois.
Learn more about this exhibition on a Friday Lunchtime Tour in the Gallery or during a special guest walking tour. More information here.
Biography: Originally from Québec City, Québec, Samuel Roy-Bois is based in the Okanagan region of British Columbia, where he is Associate Professor of Sculpture in the Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies at the University of British Columbia’s Okanagan Campus.
Roy-Bois’ practice is concerned with the conceptual and material definition of space and the ways the built environment and manufactured things contribute to our understanding of the world. Through sculpture, site-specific installation, and photography, Roy-Bois examines relational networks of objects and their complex philosophical considerations. He has exhibited widely, most recently at the Musée d’art de Joliette, ESKER Foundation, Calgary, The Polygon Gallery, Vancouver, and Kamloops Art Gallery. He has also produced a number of public art works.
Want to learn more? Watch this video for a visit to the studio of Samuel Roy-Bois. Filmed in the Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada in 2023.
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