Climate activists throw maple syrup at Emily Carr painting (VIDEO) | news

Activists threw maple syrup at an Emily Carr painting at the Vancouver Art Gallery this weekend in protest.

Protesters with Stop Fracking Around are demanding an immediate end to the Coastal Gaslink Pipeline on unceded Wet’suwet’en lands.

Climate activists are throwing maple syrup at Emily Carr’s “Stumps and Sky” at the Vancouver Art Gallery to demand an end to the Coastal GasLink pipeline, which is currently drilling unceded under the sacred Wedzin Kwa River @gidimten Wet’suwet’en lands#KillTheDrill #WetsuwetenStrong pic.twitter.com/KiOr0zKkZk

— Stop fracking (@StopFrackingA) November 12, 2022

On Saturday, November 12, climate activists spritzed maple syrup over Emily Carr’s “Stumps and Sky.” The oil on paper work dates from 1934 and Carr is one of BC’s most renowned artists. Her work featured the BC landscape and was inspired by indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest.

Erin Fletcher, a teenage protester, also taped herself to the painting’s frame. She hopes to draw attention to drilling under the Wedzinka River on Wet’suwet’en properties in northern BC.

“We are in a climate emergency. We are taking this action after Memorial Day to remember the countless deaths that have occurred and will continue to occur due to the greed, corruption and incompetence of our leaders,” she said in a press release.

She is prepared to be taken into custody by Vancouver police.

Vancouver Police Constable Steve Addison confirmed that employees at the Vancouver Art Gallery called the police after two women entered the gallery and applied maple syrup to a painting while a third person appeared to be taking photos.

“We believe we know who the women are and will conduct a full investigation. No arrests were made at this time,” Addison said.

BREAKING: MAPLE SYRUP THROWN AT EMILY CARR PAINTING BY ACTIVISTS

💀 Why are we protecting these paintings if we neither respect indigenous rights nor protect the millions of lives that will be lost to climate and societal collapse? pic.twitter.com/qDB0W9AuE3

— Stop Fracking (@StopFrackingA) November 12, 2022

According to a statement from the Vancouver Art Gallery following the incident, they “condemn vandalism of the works of cultural significance in our custody or in any museum.”

Anthony Kiendl, Director and CEO of the Vancouver Art Gallery said: “Central to our mission is to create safer spaces for communication and ideas. As a non-profit charity, we are an institution of remembrance and care for future generations.”

“We support the free expression of ideas, but not at the expense of suppressing the ideas and artistic expression of others or otherwise impeding access to those ideas.”

Gallery staff believe there was no permanent damage to the artwork.

“The gallery condemns this act and works to preserve and protect culturally significant works for all British Columbians and Canadians,” they said.

According to Stop Fracking Around, their actions at the gallery are directed by Julian Byng, World War I Commander of the Canada Corps, who said that “in an emergency, the man who does something is sometimes wrong, but the man who does nothing is wrong.” , is always wrong”.

“If we exceed an increase in average global temperatures of more than 2 degrees Celsius, we are looking at death and hunger on an unprecedented scale due to inaction on climate change,” Fletcher said.

“The Wet’suwet’en nation has made it very clear that they do not want this pipeline on their unceded land. This is a question for all Canadians: what does reconciliation really mean to us if it is not reflected in our actions as a nation?”

Climate activists around the world are demonstrating in art galleries by defacing well-known works of art with food.

In October, oil protesters threw tomato soup at a Van Gogh painting. Shortly after, protesters threw mashed potatoes at a Monet. In response to these recent incidents, the Association of Art Museum Directors (AAMD) issued a statement earlier this month saying attacks on artworks were unjustifiable.

In response to recent attacks on artworks in art museums, AAMD issued the following statement. pic.twitter.com/27W5hRQ7ic

— Art Museum Directors (@MuseumDirectors) November 3, 2022

Maple syrup is a Canadian twist on the global protest movement trend, so poutine is next?