A new mural in Nanaimo, B.C. has divided the town. It was painted this summer and has since been accused of promoting pornography and drug use. The Nanaimo mural has prompted hundreds of locals to send emails to the city council.
According to the Times Colonist, the mural was painted as part of the 2020 Hub City Walls Mural Festival. It was completed on August 14, as revealed by the festival's Facebook page.
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The mural features a creature with an almost human-like physique, leaning on its elbow. There's a mouth on its lower torso area and a pipe sticking out of the mouth. It's set against a colourful backdrop.
Nanaimo's mayor Sheryl Armstrong told the Times Colonist that both positive and negative emails have been sent to the city council regarding the mural.
She said some think it's "pornographic" and the creature is shown to be smoking from a pipe whereas other locals appreciate the artwork and don't want it removed.
She reminds the public that art is "subjective." Armstrong has heard that some children are scared of the creature but the "youngsters" enjoy it.
Armstrong also confirmed that the mural is not being taken down or changed, but she did say that the council might consider a different selection process next time.
Global News reported that the mural was painted by an artist named Russ Morland and that it took him around 10 days to complete.
The Times Colonist said the project was an attempt to revitalize areas of the town's downtown with colourful art. The Nanaimo council paid $15,000 to the group that organized the murals.
In a post on Facebook, the Hub City Walls group encouraged a counter-campaign against the backlash. They asked their supporters to send in positive emails about the mural to the city council.
"We need you to help offset this feedback the City is currently receiving for LURK's piece by taking 5 minutes to send a supportive email to Mayor and Council - RIGHT NOW!" the post read.
In an update, the post read the city council received "hundreds" of emails about the art piece.
The post goes on to thank the public for engaging with the art and making their thoughts known but asks them to stop flooding the Nanaimo city council's inboxes.
This isn't the only mural that has drummed up some controversy in recent weeks. A BLM mural in Calgary received so much backlash that the location was scrapped for good.