This HuffPost Canada page is maintained as part of an online archive.

Vancouver Public Art: 17 Pieces That Wouldn't Belong Anywhere Else

Which piece is your favourite?
HuffPost B.C.

From spray-painted giants to a giant poodle, there's no question that Vancouver is home to a colourful collection of public art.

It's debatable if the pieces are equally loved, but they certainly are eye-catching.

The Guardian's readers certainly think so, anyway. Three Vancouver pieces made it onto the British newspaper's roundup of standout urban art from around the world.

The city is in good company, making the list alongside other metropolises like Berlin, Chicago, and Istanbul.

You may recognize the Vancouver installations, but perhaps wonder about their origins or symbolism. So, we put together a handy guide to some of our favourites:

Granville Island Silos
Vancouver Biennale/Roaming-The-Planet
Six concrete silos were transformed into six, vibrant giants with spray paint. The artists are Brazilian twin brothers, and this project was their biggest to date.

Installed: 2014
Location: Granville Island
Artist: OSGEMEOS
Trans-Am Totem
HuffPost B.C.
Symbolizes society's "out with the old, in with the new" consumer culture by stacking five scrap cars on top of one another.

Location: Downtown
Installed: 2015
Artist: Marcus Bowcott
Inukshuk
Installed at Expo 86 as a welcome symbol to tourists flooding the city.

Installed: 1986
Location: English Bay
Artist: Alvin Kanak
Rainblossom Project
An ode to the rain-soaked city of Vancouver.

Installed: 2014 (temporary)
Location: Seawall, West Side
Artist: Anonymous
Human Structures (Vancouver)
Focuses on the idea that people need to work together for a better society.

Location: Olympic Villlage/Hinge Park
Installed: 2014
Artist: Jonathan Borofsky
Lightshed
Based on the boat sheds that used to line Vancouver's shores.

Location: Stanley Park Seawall
Installed: 2004
Artist: Liz Magor
Totem Poles
Getty
The nine-totem collection began with four poles in the 1920s and continues to grow.

Location: Stanley Park
Installed: 1920s-2009
Artist: Various
Main Street Poodle
Maureen Smith
The seven-foot-tall poodle statue embraces the wide variety of people in the city, as it's a breed "not associated with a particular culture," according to the artist.

Location: Mount Pleasant
Installed: 2013
Artist: Gisele Amantea
Engagement
Represents the delicate balance in relationships. Its installation coincided with same-sex marriage debates taking place in Canada during the early 2000s.

Location: English Bay
Installed: 2005
Artist: Dennis Oppenheim
Everything Is Going To Be Alright
Installed in the Downtown Eastside as a symbol of optimism and hope.

Location: Chinatown
Installed: 2008
Artist: Martin Creed
The Words Don't Fit The Picture
Touches on the idea that words and speech have no boundaries. The piece also acknowledges Vancouver's history as one of the "neon-light capitals of North America."

Location: Vancouver Public Library/Downtown
Installed: 2010
Artist: Ron Terada
Digital Orca
Represents the harmony between technology and nature in B.C.

Location: Jack Poole Plaza
Installed: 2010
Artist: Douglas Coupland
A-maze-ing Laughter
The bronze sculptures were loaned to Vancouver just before the 2010 Winter Olympics. About two years later, Lululemon founder Chip Wilson and his wife donated $1.5 million to buy the statues for the city.

Location: English Bay
Installed: 2009
Artist: Yue Minjun
East Van Cross
Developed from a decades-old graffiti symbol, the cross is said to be "an expression of hope and defiance."

Location: East Vancouver
Installed: 2010
Artist: Ken Lum
The Birds
Symbolizes the threat that a non-native species can have on its new environment, even though they may look beautiful.

Location: False Creek
Installed: 2010
Artist: Myfanwy MacLeod
Nobody Likes Me
Honourable mention: The street art piece is a commentary on people's reliance on social media for personal gratification, and quickly became a worldwide sensation.

Location: Stanley Park
Installed: 2014
Artist: IHeart
Stanley Park Inukshuks
Not an official public art piece in the city, but take a walk on Stanley Park's infamous seawall and you're sure to see a couple Inukshuks around.

What did we miss?

Close
This HuffPost Canada page is maintained as part of an online archive. If you have questions or concerns, please check our FAQ or contact support@huffpost.com.