‘MONSTROSITY’

Vancouver Xenophobes Freak Out Over Shark Boy Sculpture

Neighbors say the tall public art installation will be an eyesore and want to know why a Canadian artist wasn’t chosen.

Hundreds of Vancouver residents are trying to stop the installation of a towering ocean-conservation sculpture by a celebrated Chinese artist, calling it an eyesore and asking why a Canadian artist wasn’t selected. The Art Newspaper reports that the city will decide later this week on plans by the Vancouver Biennale to erect Boy Holding a Shark by Chen Wenling near the waterfront. Some of the signatories to a petition aimed at stopping the “monstrosity” have pointed out Wenling’s nationality. “The first thing that comes to mind when I see the statue is shark fin soup and the people that eat it,” one commenter wrote. “I think it’s time to promote Canadian artists that can create beautiful art that we can all enjoy.” Another remarked: “I question why we have three public art installations by two well known artists based in Bejing China... What about Canadian artists?” Still another said the piece “does not represent us or our culture” and one asked, “Why do we need a foreigner to create something that is so ugly?”