A huge new piece of public art has received its official blessing at the corner of West Broadway and Granville Street.
The 40-foot-tall sculpture, which has been visible for a little while, received a Coast Salish blessing on July 14, 2025, at a ceremony. The ceremony acts as a cutting of ties between the art and the artist, as the art is now in the care of the community.
Called "Sínulhḵay," the piece covers a pillar at the new building being finished on the northeast corner of the major intersection.
When the Broadway subway project is finished, the building will also house the Granville Street Station.
The piece was created by Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Nation (Squamish) artist James Nexw’Kalus-Xwalacktun Harry and Japanese-Trinidadian artist Lauren Brevner.
Sínulhḵay is a "supernatural double-headed serpent" according to a press release, and is found in the oral history of the local First Nations.
"Clad in metal and lined with reclaimed, charred red cedar, the sculpture bridges the artists’ Sḵwx̱wú7mesh and Japanese cultural lineages," reads the release. "The blackened interior evokes yakisugi, a traditional Japanese technique of wood preservation through fire that has scorched the path of the double-headed serpent, Sínulhḵay."
Located near the Granville Street Bridge, the sculpture is meant to greet visitors and residents as they enter the city core.
