A pair of sculptures commissioned for the Walterdale Bridge will not be installed by the city of Edmonton. (photo by Ken Lum, courtesy CTV)
The City of Edmonton has apologized to artist Ken Lum for its handling of a $375,000 public art installation commissioned more than a decade ago.
"The City did not intend to impugn Mr. Lum’s reputation," said a statement released Friday.
Lum, an internationally respected contemporary artist with roots in Vancouver, created two bronze sculptures depicting a buffalo and a white fur trader that were never installed in the intended spot near the North Saskatchewan River.
The city suggested last summer that Lum's work could be interpreted as celebrating colonialism, something it now says is "unfair and regrettable."
The city said it has worked with Lum to transfer ownership of the work from its public art collection to another undisclosed site.
Source: News reports