Debate in Vancouver erupts over a proposed tall art installation

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) — While art is supposed to make us pause, and even to provoke our senses, some residents of False Creek South are trying to stop a new piece from being installed for the next two years.

The piece  by artist Chen Wenling entitled Boy Holding A Shark features a  three-metre tall boy standing on a tower that is another 4.8 metres in height.

Kristi Searle is one of a number of people who doesn’t believe the art belongs in the plaza that is adjacent to the seawall and False Creek.

“It’s shocking that we’re going to get something so huge.”

People in False Creek are upset over the proposed 'Boy Holding A Shark' sculpture by artist Chen Wenling. Some residents say the 25.5 foot tall piece doesn't "fit in" with the area, with a petition against its installation getting +1000 signatures. Details @NEWS1130
#Vancouver pic.twitter.com/9mkNEPoEQu

— Tarnjit Kaur Parmar (@Tarnjitkparmar) June 13, 2021

Searle says it will ruin the views of False Creek, calling the size of the installation “insane.”

“There’s benches, there’s gardens, it’s on the seawall, it’s one of the most beautiful views of False Creek working towards Yaletown and Granville Island. And by putting that huge structure there, it’s going to only crowd the space. It’s a cramped area, it’s a very high traffic busy area,” she explains.

“It really is going to clutter the whole natural beauty of what False Creek and the whole area has to offer–it’s just such a natural, beautiful place–to put it in a structure that large is just really gross.”

Over  thousand people have signed a petition agreeing with her.

“We all love art, we support art and culture, but it’s just something that doesn’t really go with our area. It doesn’t really complement what we do here on the West Coast. There were so many amazing Canadian and local artists, especially being the Coast Salish. We have some of the most incredible artists that would be able to do art pieces that would be more suited to our area.”

The artist, Wenling, is a sculptor from China whose work is displayed worldwide, like Hong Kong, Beijing, Italy, Singapore and Australia.

The Vancouver Biennale insists there has been a lot of misinformation circulating about the piece.

“To [the people] who are opposed because of the aesthetics of the artwork, the location and its proximity to privately owned residences, and/or the ethnicity of the artist, we ask that you consider Boy Holding A Shark as an opportunity to create a really imaginative, meaningful space for the entire community to enjoy and be inspired by. We invite you to join us.”

Our statement on the response to Boy Holding A Shark by artist Chen Wenling: https://t.co/bRvCfieR9h#VanBiennale pic.twitter.com/swJEnRigoP

— Vancouver Biennale (@Van_Biennale) June 11, 2021

The biennale goes on to say “Boy Holding A Shark is akin to a lighthouse and acts as a warning that human activity is jeopardizing our oceans to the point where even the most powerful and seemingly indomitable of marine life are in distress. The young distraught boy, holding the shark as evidence for all to see, reminds us that the future is in our hands.”

“I don’t think they really thought about where they put him,” Searle maintains.