Markham cancels drag-themed artwork, sparks controversy over censorship

City offers apology but says public art must be ‘inclusive and sensitive to all’

Yorkregion.com
Oct. 30, 2023
Yoyo Yan

In an abrupt turn of events, the City of Markham recently cancelled the unveiling of a groundbreaking public artwork featuring a queer subject in drag, raising concerns over freedom of expression and the role of politics in art censorship.

Canadian artist Julian Yi-Zhong Hou's monumental creation, “Bicycle,” was scheduled to premiere on Sept. 10, as the inaugural piece in a temporary art series. The 120-foot by 37-foot vinyl digital photo collage was set to adorn the Pan Am Centre for five months.

The artwork was a rich tapestry of spiritual, intercultural, and gender-fluid symbolism. It featured a mirrored image of emerging Vancouver-based artist James Albers, portraying both their authentic self and their drag persona, Lady Boi Bangkok.

The project had been in development for over a year, supported by a collaboration between the City of Markham's public art program and the Art Gallery of York University. Contributors, including public art curators, artists, and a local drag house known as Haus of Devereaux, were all set for the grand unveiling.

However, on Sept. 6, the project contributors received an unexpected notification from the City of Markham's corporate communications office, informing them the installation had been abruptly cancelled. They said no reason was provided, and there were no details on the decision-making process.

Chinese-born Canadian artist Julian Yi-Zhong Hou was commissioned by the City of Markham's public art curator to produce the inaugural artwork for the city's Façade art program.

The unexplained cancellation raised concerns among the art community and the public. Many believed the decision might constitute a form of political censorship and a threat to freedom of expression. Questions were raised about the right of a mayor's office to veto professionally curated and developed public artwork. The decision was seen as stifling marginalized representation and alternative engagement with culture, community, and the environment.

“While we cannot know the precise motivation for the last-minute cancellation, we are concerned by what can most easily be read as a politically-driven, fearful response to public representation of queer bodies, and specifically, a subject in drag,” the project team said in a joint statement.

Given the current climate surrounding drag performance and representation in public spaces, the decision was met with added scrutiny. Recent threats of violence directed at drag performers in Canada and the United States have created a heightened sense of vulnerability within the drag community.
Hou, the artist behind “Bicycle,” intended to explore gender fluidity and gender performance, with a binary subject in a yin-yang structured composition.

“I wanted to create a work that could speak to a diversity of communities typically unrepresented in public space and commercial advertising,” he said.

Growing up as a Chinese-born Canadian, Hou often felt alienated in public spaces. “I think it’s time for leaders of civic institutions to accept that marginalized cultures are not going anywhere, and should be allowed representation in our shared, common spaces.”

However, the City of Markham says the cancellation was made because “the artwork was not suitable for its intended location” and the city is committed to working with the artist to find an “alternative opportunity” to unveil and display the artwork.

“The City of Markham has a duty to ensure publicly commissioned art displayed in municipal spaces is inclusive and sensitive to all,” the city said in a statement sent to YorkRegion.com.

The city also acknowledges that the relocation decision came late in the process and offered apologies to the artist and event participants. An internal review of the Façade art program has been initiated to ensure that “publicly procured art aligns with their planned display locations.”

As the controversy continues to unfold, supporters are looking to the city for more transparency and open dialogue regarding the cancellation of “Bicycle.”

The case has sparked a broader conversation about the intersection of art, politics, and freedom of expression in public spaces, particularly when it comes to the representation of marginalized communities.