Indeed, the fact that the piece has been ‘disappeared’ can be read as a telling metaphor about the current state of public art in Mississauga. Sonja has been quite agile in her response, she has taped the police report of the theft on the premises and traced the contours of the missing appliances with chalk. Sonja’s prompt and smart response leaves the exhibition with traces of the piece, a record of its vanishing. While the outcome is germane to the intent of her piece, it is nevertheless disconcerting that this form of censorship has happened (even if it was unintentional).
It is tempting to speculate what happened, was it the City encroaching on private property? Appliance scavengers? Art vigilantes or aficionados? Vandals favoring invisibility? Perhaps the mystery will come to light at some point or maybe we’ll never find out what happened.
Will this event not only incite discussion but active lobbying for a greater presence of contemporary art in public spaces? We can only hope.
Christof Migone
It is tempting to speculate what happened, was it the City encroaching on private property? Appliance scavengers? Art vigilantes or aficionados? Vandals favoring invisibility? Perhaps the mystery will come to light at some point or maybe we’ll never find out what happened.
Will this event not only incite discussion but active lobbying for a greater presence of contemporary art in public spaces? We can only hope.
Christof Migone
Director/Curator, Blackwood Gallery
University of Toronto – Mississauga
University of Toronto – Mississauga
Is this act indicative of how difficult it is for public art to be accepted by the general public?
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