Ken Foster

Vancouver's Vincent van Gogh

Out of the shadowy world of Vancouver's Gastown, Ken Foster emerges as an enigmatic figure. A prolific artist, Foster is known as much for his beautifully distorted renditions of iconic cityscapes as he is for peddling them on the streets to support a serious crack habit and subdue a schizophrenic mind. Inside Ken's squalid hotel room we are privy to an intimate look at life in the city's most unforgiving neighborhood and Foster's fragmented approach to his relationships and his work. When Ken's considerable talent is put to the test in Vancouver's Art Battle competition, what emerges is a gut-wrenching portrait of a man caught in conflict between ambition, ego and the desperation of needing his next fix. - Jessica Barrett