A lewd statue of the devil that seemingly popped up overnight in East Vancouver has been taken down by city officials after raising eyebrows — among other things. The statue stood about eight to nine feet tall on a pedestal near the intersection of 4th Avenue and Clark Drive for several hours Tuesday. It was removed by city crews at around 3:15 p.m. The statue also appeared to sport a full erection, a detail that likely raised hell with some of the commuters who use the station. According to the City of Vancouver’s public art registry, the small square was originally home to a statue of Christopher Columbus, but that has since been moved to Hastings Park.
In the pantheon of problems facing a city like Vancouver, BC, I’d suspect unwanted, sexually explicit public art probably isn’t near the top of the list. Still, the idea of a life-size statue of Satan with one hand firmly grasping a massive erection seems as if it might offend the tender sensibilities of some folks who just don’t appreciate original art. I know….
WHAT ABOUT THE POOR, IMPRESSIONABLE CHILDREN??
Someone clearly devoted a good deal of money, effort, and stealth to installing the statue, which certainly isn’t the first bit of public art to generate considerable conversation and consternation (A 7-foot-tall poodle? Really??) Even for Vancouver, a reasonably tolerant place with a sizable registry of public art, a naked Satan with a sizable erection was too much for those in power. Since the Devil is in the details, and with the city saying it never commissioned the installation, Satan had to go.
Given the popularity of the statue among locals and tourists in the short time it was up, you’d think the city would want to find a way to maximize the opportunity the statue presented. Sure, it was Satan, and yes, he WAS very red and very erect, but the PR possibilities presented by such avant-garde art was impressive. Vancouver could have established itself as a city with a reputation for tolerating a wide variety of very creative art.
If good art offends, generates conversation, and makes people question attitudes and presuppositions, then the statue of Satan was a success. It’s just too bad Vancouver’s city fathers couldn’t see their way clear to allowing it to remain in place. Art should be controversial. It should force us to consider and question how we look at our world…and there’s nothing wrong with pissing people off. At least if they’re angry and/or offended, you know they’re thinking…right?
Given that the statue was flashing the “Hook ‘em, Horns!” sign, I wonder if Satan might be welcome in Austin?
‘Course, most Texans already think Satan’s a long-time resident of Austin, so perhaps the statue would be seen as confirmation of his presence. THAT would be fun, don’tchathink??
And people wonder why Vancouver is one of my favorite places in the world….
