Artist examines Vancouver's 'world-class' ambitions amid World Cup

As the World Cup consumes Vancouver's attention, one artist is pausing to ask a sharper question: what does it actually mean to be a "world-class" city?

Ashley Andel's exhibition World Class, opening June 25 at Slice of Life Gallery, arrives in the middle of the tournament and nearly 40 years after Expo '86—both moments when Vancouver has aggressively marketed itself for global attention. The show combines found retail signage, scrambled corporate slogans, and images of the city's fading mega-event infrastructure to explore that ongoing pursuit.

Andel, whose practice is informed by years spent working warehouse and service jobs, created the pieces using discarded signage collected from a former department store workplace. By rearranging familiar corporate messaging, she uncovered phrases that feel less motivational and more like accidental admissions. Works titled Cruel stupid people, You poor loser; Gold mine, and Digital divisive transform polished workplace language into something stranger, darker, and often darkly funny.

For Andel, the critique extends beyond retail culture. Many of the works are set against images of the Plaza of Nations and remnants of Expo '86, drawing parallels between corporate branding and civic branding. Both, she suggests, rely on carefully constructed performances designed to project success and attract attention.

At a moment when "world-class" is being repeated across marketing campaigns, sponsorships, and civic messaging, Andel's exhibition pauses to examine the phrase itself.

World Class runs June 25 to July 13 at Slice of Life Gallery. Admission is pay what you can.