Anti-Olympic paintings appear at site of removed Beatty Street murals

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      Stenciled paintings criticizing the 2010 Winter Olympics have appeared on a concrete wall on Beatty Street where a series of murals once existed.

      The new paintings consist of the Olympic rings surrounded by text reading, “With glowing hearts we kill the arts”. The graffiti art appeared between Friday (January 8) and Monday (January 11).

      The murals that once covered the wall were painted over by the City of Vancouver on December 23. Those paintings were commissioned by the Steve Nash Foundation in 2007 and were created by 16 artists under the direction of Milan Basic.

      The wall borders a large parking lot at the corner of Georgia Street and Beatty Street that has been designated as an Olympic venue scheduled to be used for entertainment during the Games.

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      Paintings since removed by the City of Vancouver. On Beatty Street between Dunsmuir and Georgia streets.


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      Comments

      72 Comments

      MG

      Jan 11, 2010 at 11:19am

      What a shame, those murals look nice.

      Liddlethought

      Jan 11, 2010 at 12:02pm

      Send your video clips, taken by your cell phones or any other video device, of the Olympic, Paralympic, Torch Relay and Celebrations to weRwatching2010 [at] gmail.com to participate in my art project. Video clips will be projected in a large-scale video public art project in Vancouver during the games. Project details can be found at www.liddlethought.blogspot.com Thanks, and pass it on!

      SeanC

      Jan 11, 2010 at 12:30pm

      We had an amazing view of this mural from our apartment building. It looked incredible and I would often stop to stare at it while walking by.

      Apparently this constitutes "graffiti" to VANOC who decided to paint over it with the most hideous shade of blue I've ever seen. This will of course be painted over, but hopefully the artist will continue putting his message there.

      Thank you!

      hoping for some protesting

      Jan 11, 2010 at 4:16pm

      how about some virtual graffitti protesting on the buildings downtown...or maybe onto the side of GM place....

      Greg McKinnon

      Jan 11, 2010 at 6:12pm

      This is an afront to free speech. When facisim comes to Canada it will be called "Democracy".

      Mike Wink

      Jan 11, 2010 at 8:01pm

      Fucking city council. There isn't much one can say at this point! I'm young and I know things are already at the point of no return.

      Ryan Bolli

      Jan 11, 2010 at 8:02pm

      Yep, we sure are a free country. Where you can only as free as they will allow you to be.

      How do you feel about your life? Is this what you call an existence that is to your benefit? Do you have any say in this? or is the rich mofo who has control?

      Never mind, you're probably watching Entertainment Tonight and don't want to be disturbed.....

      Ashamed Vancouverite

      Jan 11, 2010 at 9:04pm

      It is a shame when something so inspiring and beautiful can be destroyed because people could possibly consider this grafitti? It is terrible the government feels the need to ruin what little true culture we have left in this city.... And they consider a giant ball of shiny tinfoil "art"

      Sixx

      Jan 11, 2010 at 9:06pm

      I agree.
      Those were well done and I liked seeing them.
      A solid bright blue wall is obviously so much better....??

      A

      Jan 11, 2010 at 10:20pm

      How many of us and how much paint do you think it would take for a new nice mural to go up. I'm down with painting some orcas or something in the middle of the night!

      Seriously though, I loved those murals, and every time I had out of province family visiting, they commented on them positively. Painting over them was definitely the wrong move.