Just weeks after a Quebecer created a massive George Floyd snow sculpture on the front lawn of his family home, the sculpture has allegedly been vandalized.
Timothée de Sandro, a 29-year-old artist from Quebec City, told MTL Blog that his family members and neighbours heard a commotion — including people getting out of one or more vehicles — around 3 a.m. on December 29.
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I think any sadness about the incident should be accepted as part of the artwork, and that its message touches a nerve.
Timothée de Sandro
"[They] didn’t think to check what the fuss was about," de Sandro said.
However, the next morning, he said he found the sculpture had been gouged and disfigured.
The drastic overnight changes were not characteristic of typical wear and tear due to weather and, according to de Sandro, the structure was stable, thanks to its blocky, bust-like design.
"I was pretty shocked," he said. "[You] can’t anticipate the visceral response and implications until it does happen."
De Sandro said, in hindsight, he might have expected something like this to happen.
The sculpture was meant to pay homage to victims of racial discrimination.
But he said the initial attention it garnered showed how divisive Floyd's murder — his face now a symbol for the fight against systemic racism — could be.
Still, de Sandro said he is proud of what the 11-foot-tall sculpture, which took him 60 hours to complete, was able to accomplish in its short lifespan.
"[Some supporters] blew me away with their expressions of what it meant to them for their struggle to have such visibility in their province," he said.
"A takeaway is don't be afraid of how your craft or skills can start a dialogue you don't know how to initiate formally. [It] allowed me to rise to the occasion of learning how to become a better ally to oppressed communities."