Confronting Bodies: Curtis Collins, director of the South Okanagan Art Gallery and chair of Penticton Public-Art Advisory Committee
Date of Action: March, 2005
Specific Location: Penticton, British Columbia
Description of Artwork: The sculpture depicts a nude male figure carrying a suitcase.
Description of Incident: After the City publicly display "The Baggage Handler" in a traffic circle in Penticton, the sculpture faced multiple incidents of vandalism including being pushed off of its base and severing his genetalia.
Results of Incident: Hermesh requested $20,000 to repair the damaged sculpture; however, the city council decided to remove the scupture and gave the artist $300 to cover moving costs. A local band, Shaker Green, wrote a song about the sculpture entitled, "Frank the Baggage Handler." The sculpture could possibly be relocated to one of numerous companies who have expressed their desire to have the scultpure.
Source: www.globeandmail.com
Submitted By: Danielle Biber