After weeks of rising outcry on French social media and an particularly heated weekend because it hit the nationwide press, the Angoulême International Comics Festival has reached a call on the controversial Bastien Vivès exhibition – citing threats of bodily violence, the Festival has mentioned it’s not going forward.
Although the Festival had beforehand seen itself as holding the road for freedom of creativity and expression, in a press release launched at the moment, they acknowledged that “new developments have radically changed the nature of this situation and have made it necessary for the Festival to cancel this exhibition”, specifically that threats of bodily violence have been being made towards the Festival crew, the artist and pageant attendees.
The Festival added:
“It is due to this fact not acceptable for the occasion to contemplate that its programming might put an creator and, probably, in just a few weeks, its festival-goers at such danger. Other precedents show this. In addition, the intimidation of members of the Festival crew have change into obvious.
“It is now up to the appropriate authorities to deal with the situation.”
It doesn’t wholly let Vivès off the hook nonetheless – whereas defending his proper to produce no matter he needs inside the regulation – it additionally factors out that he’ll nonetheless want to clarify numerous of his extra controversial feedback he has made prior to now which the Festival was unaware of prior to asserting the exhibition:
“Bastien Vivès has made various comments – spread out over the years – which may seem to some people to be very shocking and/or inappropriate: the Festival was not initially aware of many of them. In view of the situation, it is up to the author to explain, in the manner he deems appropriate, their meaning, their reason for being and to specify the circumstances in which they were expressed.”
The exhibition was introduced November 28. “From the Eyes of Bastien Vivès“ (“Dans les yeux de Bastien Vivès”), because it was to be known as, was providing the artist carte blanche to produce and design an exhibition of wholly unique art work that was to debut on the late January Angoulême Festival and run till March 12. Shortly following the announcement there was a rising outcry on social media which peaked late final week into two petitions demanding its removing and the controversy spreading into the French press.
Vivès has produced critically acclaimed work within the mainstream together with the award-winning Polina and the Lastman collection however he additionally has revealed extraordinarily controversial work – akin to Petit Paul – which many have accused of being akin to little one pornography and selling incest. While none have been deemed unlawful below French regulation, the general public clearly stays embittered. Of the 2 petitions launched late final week, one has surpassed 100,000 signatures. [For an in depth look at the controversy, see here].
The full assertion of the Angoulême pageant [translated via DeepL]:
“ABOUT THE SITUATION CONCERNING THE AUTHOR BASTIEN VIVÈS
“The International Comics Festival of Angoulême has not too long ago introduced the programming of an exhibition devoted to Bastien Vivès’.
“This announcement has induced, throughout the previous couple of days, quite a few feedback from Internet customers. Some of them are defamatory in the direction of the creator involved and the Festival, others, measured and argued, present sensitivity and concern for the reason for kids and ladies, amongst those that are on the coronary heart of it. These are those that the Festival wished and needs to hear. For this purpose, it undertook to seek the advice of with its companions so as to contemplate a place that may take them under consideration.
“Within this quick house of time, new developments have radically modified the character of this example and have made it needed for the Festival to cancel this exhibition.
“For instance, bodily threats have been made towards Bastien Vivès. It is due to this fact not acceptable for the occasion to contemplate that its programming might put an creator and, probably, in just a few weeks, its festival-goers at such danger. Other precedents show this. In addition, the intimidation of members of the Festival crew have change into obvious.
“It is now up to the suitable authorities to take care of the state of affairs.
“The Festival would really like to make the next factors clear on this context:
-
- The exhibition it had deliberate to commit to Bastien Vivès was primarily based on the show of unique, unpublished creations and never – as many fanciful feedback have recommended – on content material taken from his work (the press package despatched to journalists on November 28 attests to this).
- The Festival considers that the work of Bastien Vivès, as a complete, falls inside the scope of freedom of expression and that it’s up to the regulation to draw the boundaries on this space and to the justice system to implement them. The Festival remembers on this regard, that to its data, the creator, at the moment incriminated on social networks, has not been topic to any authorized grievance of any type. It additionally underlines that a number of works of Bastien Vivès have been and would be the topic of variations of assorted sorts – within the cinematic world, on platforms, within the type of animation collection … – by totally different artists and that many prizes have been awarded to him for years by every kind of juries.
“In this respect, the controversy at stake concerns questions as outdated as artwork. Those relating to the liberty of expression and creativity, to the duty of the artists, to the required social adjustments, to morality, to the obstacles between fiction and actuality, to censorship, and to self-censorship. So many questions that completely cross an occasion just like the Festival, involving very numerous audiences – households, kids, lecturers, educators … – and whose vocation can also be that of placing ahead the creations of artists questioning our societies.
“It is important that this debate be performed in a relaxed environment. The Festival will lead it throughout its growth through its therapy within the framework of a potential discussion board – the place it won’t fail to invite a few of the Internet customers who’re stakeholders and who’ve not too long ago expressed themselves by asking questions.
“Bastien Vivès has made numerous feedback – unfold out through the years – which can appear to some individuals to be very surprising and/or inappropriate: the Festival was not initially conscious of a lot of them. In view of the state of affairs, it’s up to the creator to clarify, within the method he deems acceptable, their which means, their purpose for being and to specify the circumstances during which they have been expressed.
“The Festival hopes that its annual occasion will contribute to bringing peace to a state of affairs that now requires it, and hopes that invective and threats might be changed by debate.
“The Festival recalls that its mission, since its inception, has been to be a space for dialogue and that culture is an essential factor in bringing together citizens of the world.”
Discussion about this post