Zodiac Crossroads Comes Home: Art, Myth, and Memory in Harrison Hot Springs

Image: A small art-gallery room with white walls, a light wood floor, and white track lighting on the ceiling. Framed artworks hang along the left wall in a row and also on the far wall; each frame appears to contain a brown-toned, textured image, with small white labels beside some pieces.

Four adults are standing and talking. On the left, a man with light skin wearing a tan cap, glasses, a green sweater, and gray pants stands facing a woman with light skin and shoulder-length white hair wearing a light gray sweater and blue jeans; she has her arms crossed and a phone in one hand. On the right side of the room, two men are talking: one with light skin wearing a black puffy vest and dark pants stands with his back turned, facing another light-skinned man wearing a dark beanie, a light blue shirt, and dark pants.

At the far right, a table covered with a black tablecloth holds a metal beverage urn and a few small items. A white door is on the far wall behind the group.

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There are moments in life when everything you’ve built—every scar, every lesson, every quiet victory—comes together in one place. Right now, for me, that place is Harrison Hot Springs.

My exhibition, Zodiac Crossroads, is currently being featured in this beautiful lakeside town, and I don’t think I could have asked for a more meaningful setting.

For those who are new to the series, Zodiac Crossroads is more than just a collection of artwork—it’s a conversation between worlds. It reimagines the twelve zodiac signs through a fusion of Eastern and Western mythology, blending cultural symbolism, storytelling, and tactile design. This isn’t art meant to sit behind glass. It’s meant to be touched, explored, and experienced—especially by those who are often left out of traditional visual art spaces.

That’s what makes it special.

It doesn’t just invite you to look.

It invites you to feel.

And now, that experience is happening right here in Harrison Hot Springs—a place that, in its own way, sits at a crossroads of myth and memory.

Image: A white gallery wall with three framed square artworks in a row (brown, textured/relief-like images) under white track lights. Each piece has small tags hanging below it and a small wall label beside it.

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This town has always had a certain… energy to it. If you’ve ever been here, you know what I mean. The mist rolling over the lake, the mountains watching in silence, the feeling that something ancient is just beneath the surface. It’s no surprise that Harrison is deeply tied to the legends of the Sasquatch—stories passed down through generations, especially by the Sts’ailes people, who have long spoken of these beings not just as creatures, but as part of a spiritual and cultural reality.

Whether you see Sasquatch as myth, mystery, or something in between, the idea itself fits perfectly with what Zodiac Crossroads represents: the blending of belief systems, the honoring of stories, and the understanding that different cultures can describe the same unknown in beautifully different ways.

That’s the magic of mythology.

It connects us, even when the stories seem worlds apart.

And for me… this connection to Harrison isn’t just artistic. It’s deeply personal.

Image: A corner of a white gallery room with wood flooring and white track lights overhead. Four framed square artworks (brown, textured/relief-like images) are hung in a row across the two walls, each with small hanging tags below and small wall labels nearby.

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Back in the 90s, my family owned a travel agency. We used to bring tourists from Taiwan and China to explore some of the most beautiful places in British Columbia. And Harrison Hot Springs? That was always one of the favorites. I remember the energy, the excitement, the way people would light up when they saw the lake and felt the calm of this place.

I was younger then. Just a kid moving through those moments, not realizing how much they would stay with me.

And now, over 35 years later, I’m back—but not as a visitor.

I’m here as an artist.

With my own voice.

With my own story.

And somehow… it feels like coming home.

There’s something powerful about that kind of full circle. About returning to a place that once shaped your past and finding that it now has space for your present. Even more than that—it’s a kind of validation. A quiet acknowledgment that the path you walked, no matter how unconventional, led somewhere meaningful.

Image: An indoor gallery room with white walls, wood floor, and white track lighting. Several framed square artworks (brown, textured/relief-like images) hang along the walls with small labels beside them.

Four adults are standing and talking: on the left, a light-skinned man in a tan cap, glasses, and a green sweater; next to him a light-skinned woman with shoulder-length white hair in a light gray sweater and blue jeans with her arms crossed. In the middle, a light-skinned man in a black puffy vest stands facing another light-skinned man wearing a dark beanie and a light blue shirt.

On the right is a long table with a black tablecloth holding drink items (a metal coffee urn and a white carafe/mug), a plate, a tray/basket, and some small containers. A large window shows greenery outside.

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So I put together a video during my walk through town—sharing moments, memories, and reflections as I delivered my artwork and prepared for the show. It’s not just about the exhibition. It’s about the journey that brought me here.

Take a moment. Walk with me through Harrison.

And maybe, just maybe, you’ll feel a little bit of that magic too.

Explore more of my work and story:

johnnytiger.com

tigertactile.com

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