Vancouver Biennale Exhibition

[officedweller]

and now dismantled...

Richmond Review
Lenin and Mao dismantled

http://media.bclocalnews.com/images/400*300/97555richmondleninmaobeheaded2.jpg
Crews were dismantling Richmond's most controversial piece of public art Wednesday.
Matthew Hoekstra photo

By Matthew Hoekstra - Richmond Review

Published: January 27, 2010 11:00 AM
Updated: January 27, 2010 2:40 PM


It's survived eggs, dirt and crude vandalism, but on Wednesday morning the city's most controversial public art appeared as though its opponents finally won.

A truck-mounted crane carefully lifted Miss Mao off Lenin's head, placing it on a flatbed truck parked on the vacant lot across from Rona on Elmbridge Way.

Some have called Miss Mao Trying to Poise Herself at the Top of Lenin's Head great public art and a win for freedom of speech. Others have blasted it as an eyesore exalting communist dictators.

The Chinese Consultate has requested the Vancouver Biennale, which installed the piece, to remove it.

"For the Olympics," shrugged one onlooker watching crews dismantle the sculpture with mild surprise.

But Lenin and Mao aren't leaving town just yet. Artists Zhen and Qiang Gao are having their work reconfigured to reflect their original design.

The larger-than-life bust of Lenin is composed of several stainless steel sections, and the pieces were installed perfectly aligned to form a crisp, clear image of Lenin.

The Beijing-based artists, however, intended the pieces to be slightly offset.

"We are literally making sure that the installation is done according to the exact specifications of the artists, which is to show Lenin's head as fragmented," said Miriam Blume, spokesperson of the Vancouver Biennale.

The statue could reassembled as soon as later today.

That may cause some people to change their opinions of the artwork, which shows a feminized Mao Zedong balancing on top of Vladimir Lenin.

Blume isn't sure if opinions will change, but said the sculpture will now "properly reflect the political commentary" of the artists."

Said Blume: "How people take that is for people to determine."

[SpongeG]

strange

[Delirium]

thanks for the posting that article OD. it doesn't say where it's going to re-installed though?

i find it kinda unfortunate that because the Chinese consulate wanted it removed, we caved in just like that. too bad. i do think the piece was ill placed though. hopefully they will find somewhere more suitable downtown.

and speaking of richmond, here's another piece that was installed yesterday.
while I LOVE this sculpture, i'm so disappointed that it's in Richmond and it's under the Canada line almost obscured from public eye... except while whizzing by in your car.

i would have liked to see this on sunset beach or stanley park where it looked it was washed up on shore or something. something more dramatic than No.3 road..


photo by Dan Fairchild on Flickr.com http://www.flickr.com/photos/danfairchildphotography/


photo by Dan Fairchild on Flickr.com http://www.flickr.com/photos/danfairchildphotography/


photo by Dan Fairchild on Flickr.com http://www.flickr.com/photos/danfairchildphotography/


photo by Dan Fairchild on Flickr.com http://www.flickr.com/photos/danfairchildphotography/

public art in suburbia just doesn't work for me. i don't know why exactly...
lots more photos of the installation here http://www.flickr.com/photos/danfairchildphotography/

[SpongeG]

why call it a vancouver biwhateverual if things go in richmond? lame

[vanman]

As much as I agree it still would be cool driving along No 3 rd and randomly seeing that for the first time. It looks as if it just dropped from the sky one day. A beach or woods setting though wood be more ideal.

[officedweller]

Actually, I like the contrast between the smooth surfaces of the windswept concrete plaza and guideway versus the detail of the sculptures - esp. in that last pic. I don't think you'd notice the detail as much if it were in a grassy setting amidst trees.

[deasine]

Agreed. What would be more interesting if there were spot lights hanging from the guideway shining onto the art. It would be quite a show stopper not only from a driver's point of view, but also that of a pedestrian walking towards Lansdowne.

[officedweller]

More on Lenin:

Lenin blows his top, Biennale admits assembly error

Alan Campbell
Richmond News


Friday, January 29, 2010


Much to the dismay of its army of objectors, Richmond's Lenin/Miss Mao had not been decapitated and is not being run out of town.

There was something of a rumble in the jungle Wednesday morning when passers-by witnessed workmen slicing Miss Mao off Lenin's head and then a crane and cables being hooked onto the famous former Communist leader's giant chrome bust.

Several onlookers at the Elmbridge and Alderbridge ways intersection site paused from their daily routine, believing the City of Richmond and organizers of the Biennale temporary public art exhibition had bowed to public pressure to remove the controversial artwork.

The truth was very much to the contrary.

In fact, Lenin and Miss Mao are here to stay (until next year at least) -- it just so happens that the artwork wasn't quite installed as its creators, the Gao brothers, intended.

And it was a mistake that the Biennale actually realized three weeks ago, but wanted to wait until the dust had settled before rectifying the oversight.

"I got back from a trip a few weeks ago and when I arrived here to see it I knew straight away something wasn't quite right," said Biennale founder and president Barrie Mowatt, as he rushed from his car to speak to the News at the site.

"We looked at the pictures of the artwork again and it seems each section of Lenin's head needed to be offset a little from each other.

"That's why Miss Mao is supposed to be having so much trouble balancing on Lenin's head."

The changes, although only noticeable when close up, may alter some of the objectors' opinions of the artwork, many of whom have flooded local media with letters and

calls of protest and disgust at their interpretation of Lenin and a breasted Mao being "glorified" or "celebrated."

"It is possible that the way the artwork was (wrongly put together) may have led to some misinterpretation," Mowatt said.

"The whole thing is supposed to be about Miss Mao balancing on top of Lenin and having trouble doing it because Lenin's head is all over the place."

More vandalism -- in the form of round indentations -- can be seen on the bust of Lenin.

Mowatt said he was disappointed to see that the artwork had suffered further minor vandalism, on top of that reported by the News two weeks ago.

"The red tape wrapped around was quite artistic I thought. But the rest is just pure vandalism, nothing more," Mowatt said.

Overall, however, Mowatt said he's been very pleased with the reaction to Miss Mao Trying to Poise Herself at the Top of Lenin's Head.

The News reported earlier this month how the vandalism of the Lenin/Miss Mao artwork was the first time in the Biennale's history that one of its installations has been deliberately damaged by the public.

Despite growing calls for the artwork to be removed, the Biennale and the City of Richmond have said Lenin/Miss Mao will remain at its location until the end of its 18-month stay, which runs out in the spring of 2011.

The Chinese brothers who created the piece have said that their artwork is not intended to celebrate either of the two controversial figures from the past.

© Richmond News 2010

[vanman]

Bunch of pics from Flickr:


http://www.flickr.com/photos/danfairchildphotography/4179187531/sizes/l/


http://www.flickr.com/photos/danfairchildphotography/4257836395/sizes/l/


http://www.flickr.com/photos/23729585@N02/4263452179/


http://www.flickr.com/photos/cherny/4317136453/sizes/l/


http://www.flickr.com/photos/86761597@N00/4158878167/sizes/l/


http://www.flickr.com/photos/danfairchildphotography/4297369864/


http://www.flickr.com/photos/harrishui/4317390112/sizes/o/


http://www.flickr.com/photos/danfairchildphotography/4276022430/sizes/o/


http://www.flickr.com/photos/danfairchildphotography/4297300636/sizes/o/


http://www.flickr.com/photos/danfairchildphotography/4276022430/sizes/o/

[SpongeG]

i took these pics last night - they are not lit at all - they are cool - i still they should have gone elsewhere - even near GM Place or somewhere like that - I like the way they are on cemenet ad stuff... but would rather see em downtown somewhere

[Delirium]

another piece went up recently. in richmond..

water #10. that's river road on the left and the fraser river on the right.

photo by Dan Fairchild Photography http://www.flickr.com/photos/danfairchildphotography/

there is also a new piece right behind yaletown station. it's a headless man wrapped in rope on a horse. very cool.

[vanman]

This looks almost spiritual:


http://www.flickr.com/photos/danfairchildphotography/4340490962/sizes/o/

[johnjimbc]

I feel silly. I never realized the figure on English Bay (Alphabet Man ) lit up at night. I've only ever seen it during the day.

Love that last pic.

[Locked In]

I don't know if this is part of the Biennale, but I'm pretty sure it's new. It's in Yaletown Park (Nelson and Mainland). Lots of people gawking at it the last couple of days. It's huge - people were climbing inside it!





(My photo, March 5)

[SpongeG]

yeah thats part of it - according the web site

that lenin mao thing is still up in richmond