Big laughs in Vancouver.

Sometimes, my travelling companions get sick of me dragging them to art works.  But I couldn't leave Vancouver without a visit to Yue Minjun's recently installed public sculpture, A-mazing Laughter found in the West End on English Bay.  Minjun is famous for paintings and sculptures that are repeating self portraits of the artist laughing.  And Vancouver's version  is a maze of giant bronze Minjun's in spectacular laughing poses.

The sculpture is a hit with locals and tourists alike.  And you can see why.  It's tough to be sad when you're surrounded by so much funniness.  But I'm not sure humor is the sole intent of Minjun's work.  For me, the artist's imagery offers a more sinister statement.  The frozen smiles seem like masks, hiding all of the things we choose not to reveal.  And usually those things are a lot less pleasant than this brilliant bit of public sculpture.

Here are a few photos:

And here's a video walk through the maze: