Image via Capture Photography Festival
Last month, multiple billboards in Vancouver, Canada were covered up after public outcry that the images were frightening and showed deceased subjects. These billboards were the artwork of Vancouver-based artist Steven Shearer as part of the 2021 Capture Photography Festival, and were intended to be on exhibition till May 21.
Shearer is a globally recognized artist, and has had his work exhibited internationally. Capture Photography Festival’s executive director, Emmy Lee Wall, said in a statement that the festival had “received significant positive feedback” from the public about the opportunity to view Shearer’s work publicly. This led them to work with the artist for over a year on the project.
The seven images were of sleeping figures echoing poses found in religious paintings and sculptures, where the bodies appeared to be in “states of ecstasy or defying gravity”. Each image was also accompanied by information panels that described the subjects.
But it appears some of the public thought they were of deceased people, sparking an outcry. Other feedback included that the billboards “were frightening, and that they evoked the opioid and the homelessness crises,” Wall told the Daily Hive.
While she respects the intense public response, Wall said it further supports the fact that the images were able to spark a conversation. “The intense public reaction is, in fact, a confirmation that these works functioned as curatorially intended by sparking a dialogue about the thin line between public and private in contemporary society,” she said.
Although the billboards have been covered up, the festival will be holding a panel discussion to further explore some of the issues that were raised by the project. Wall said this has presented an opportunity to consider the role of public art in the city. The intense response from the public is a “testament to the enduring power of the photographic image,” she added.
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