Your National Post
Reptiles safe from the angry crowd
Brian Hutchinson, National Post
Published: Friday, April 13, 2007
On the second floor of the Vancouver Art Gallery, beyond a pair of animal cages -- empty but for a few bones and some bits of lion feces -- is a tortoise- shaped, illuminated cage.
Rustling about inside is a menagerie of insects and reptiles. Blue-tongued skinks, hissing cockroaches, pink-toed tarantulas, flat rock scorpions, some toads and the like. Plus hundreds of chirpy, tasty crickets: Lunch.
The exhibit is called Theatre of the World, one piece in a large career retrospective of renowned Chinese installation artist Huang Yong Ping. The show opened at the VAG last week, to mixed reviews. While not the biggest or most complex of Mr. Huang's work, or even the smelliest -- the lion cages have that distinction-- Theatre of the World is certainly the most macabre. And discussed. And disgusting, say some critics.
Two lizards and a spider participate in Huang Yong Ping's Theatre of the World exhibit at the Vancouver Art Gallery last week.View Larger Image View Larger Image
Two lizards and a spider participate in Huang Yong Ping's Theatre of the World exhibit at the Vancouver Art Gallery last week.
Conceived by Mr. Huang in 1993, it resembles a chaotic battlefield, in miniature. A gallery summary describes the piece as "a representation of power dynamics."
The crickets are the most obvious casualties. They hop about the cage's interior, attempting to avoid death. But their numbers are dwindling.
A spotted gecko hogs centre stage, basking under the warmth of a UV lamp, the display's sole source of heat. No other creature dares approach. The gecko seems to rule this roost.
A tarantula scuttles past. It is missing a limb, the result, perhaps, of some dire inter-species combat. Peering out from behind rocks and bits of wood are some of the more timid beasts.
Animal rights activists have already condemned the installation, calling it exploitative and mean. After receiving a complaint from one horrified VAG patron, the local SPCA chapter launched an investigation, and dispatched a veterinarian to the VAG. On Wednesday, the vet reported back.
Some of the insects and reptiles used in the exhibit may be completely incompatible, and should not be confined together, he noted. Certain creatures show "signs of distress."
Water dishes inside the cage are not deep enough for the snakes and lizards to "properly soak." Heating may be insufficient, as well.
"Quite frankly, we want to see the exhibit removed," declares Eileen Drever, the SPCA's senior animal protection officer.
Daina Augaitis, the VAG's chief curator, swears she didn't anticipate any trouble. Before arriving in Vancouver, the Huang retrospective showed at two prestigious American institutions -- the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, and the Massachusetts Museum of Modern Art -- and no concerns were raised there, she says.
Mr. Huang has displayed animal art in Vancouver before, she points out. In 1998, a local gallery presented another piece, called Terminal. It also featured live creepy crawlers, including snakes and bugs. No one raised a peep.
But mixing up animals and art does not always go over well in Vancouver. People vividly recall the infamous Sniffy the Rat incident of 1990, when out-there artist Rick Gibson proposed to crush a rented rodent with a 25-kilogram building brick.
Mr. Gibson had second thoughts, and arrived at the execution site sans Sniffy. "I have returned him to the pet shop," he announced. Regardless, an angry mob chased him on foot through the streets of downtown Vancouver. "Now you know how Sniffy feels," one of the vigilantes reportedly shouted, as Mr. Gibson fled.
No wonder the VAG decided to post a security guard next to the Theatre of the World installation. Just in case.
He seemed as curious as the children standing around the exhibit when I dropped by this week. "It's pretty cool," said the guard. "I've been staring at the cage for hours."
"Have you named any of the animals?"
"No," said the guard. "That might be bad luck." "You mean they might die?" "Uh, yeah."
Just then, a cricket keeled over. Its legs twitched spasmodically. A lizard darted over, snatched up the insect, and then scurried underneath a rock. A young girl witnessed it all and wrinkled her nose.
Ms. Augaitis met me on the exhibition floor. Defending the installation has become a full-time task for the VAG's chief curator. "It's been non-stop since we opened last week," she said. "We've lost track of time."
According to Ms. Augaitis, the gallery worked with a local reptile specialist to determine which species could peacefully coexist inside the cage. The Walker Art Center and the Massachusetts Museum of Modern Art had hired their own specialists, she explained.
Contrary to some reports, the show's two European green toads have not gone AWOL; they were buried under some covering material for a spell.
There is ample food for the animals, added Ms. Augaitis, at times sounding more like a zoologist than an art expert. "Crickets are a natural food for the other insects and reptiles," she said.
The gallery also ensures the creatures are supplied with plenty of fresh vegetables. Ms. Augaitis pointed to a few small heaps of cabbage and lettuce lying inside the cage.
The exhibition's two snakes are removed and fed separately. All of the creatures -- even the crickets, at least those that survive -- will find good homes after the show is dismantled in September.
We walked from Theatre of the World and toward a statue of a dog that urinates against a gallery wall. "We don't take our responsibilities lightly," said Ms. Augaitis.
The SPCA's Ms. Drever is unconvinced. She has arranged to meet with gallery staff this evening, and is bringing along her veterinarian. "This isn't the end of the matter," she declares. "It isn't over yet."