Calgary public art 'prompts international incident' and more arts stories you might have missed
In this week's Art Post Outpost, an installation was found to have used unauthorized images of U.K. comedians
Here at CBC Arts, you won't just find our original content — we also bring you the best art posts from across the entire CBC network.
These are the week's can't-miss stories:
'This is really weird': British comedians surprised to see their images used in Calgary public art (CBC Calgary)
"Calgary is removing a $20,000 public art installation from a downtown underpass after British comedians complained that it used photos of them without their permission. The move comes after a U.K-based comedian named Bisha Ali was alerted to the fact that an altered photo of her appeared to be among several images plastered on the underpass as part of the art project, which has been in place for the past two years. Ali said an old friend from Canada just recently noticed the image and messaged her about it. Once she started digging into the mystery, Ali said she not only believed her photo was used without her knowledge, so too were the images of some of her comedic colleagues."
Calgary artist apologizes for 'prompting international incident' with unapproved images of UK comics (CBC Calgary)
"The Calgary artist behind the public art that used photos of British comedians without permission and prompted an international incident this week has apologized and offered an explanation. 'When I received some torn out pages from a handout flyer with these faces, my impression was they were already out in the public domain.' Besant said in an email to CBC News. This explanation differs from a 2015 article in Avenue Magazine in which Besant was interviewed about the underpass project. That article states: 'Besant chose the 20 people at random from the pedestrians he met at the underpass.' The City of Calgary said earlier this week it had been in contact with Besant and the artwork was taken down Wednesday evening."
CBC Books' winter reading list: 17 books you should read this season (CBC Books)
Looking for a new read to keep you warm as the temperatures get cold? Here are 17 must-read books.
How Leonard Cohen's legacy lives on in Montreal (CBC Montreal)
"The news of Leonard Cohen's death broke on the evening of Nov. 10, 2016. Within minutes, the pilgrimage began. Alone and in couples, walking hand in hand, people gathered at the doorstep of Cohen's Plateau-Mont-Royal home. Some lit candles. Others carried bouquets and personal notes and placed them on the doorstep where he used to sit, reading. A local artist cut out the letters of Hallelujah and hung them on a string across his door. Cohen was a poet and a novelist, a songwriter and singer, aloof yet approachable, a star who remained modest. He was a Buddhist who stayed true to his Judaism and who was fascinated by the Catholicism that defined the Montreal of his childhood. He was full of contradictions, much like his city."
James Franco tells the story behind the greatest bad movie ever in The Disaster Artist (q)
"It's been called the greatest bad movie ever made. The Room is now a global sensation, though, and an ironic cult hit. The man behind the film, Tommy Wiseau, wrote, directed, produced and starred in it, and did so with sincerity and great ambition. Wiseau reached international success for his passion project, but not in the way he had hoped. The story of Wiseau and the making of The Room is told in the new comedy-drama, The Disaster Artist. James Franco produced, directed and starred in the film. He joined Tom Power to discuss his passion project about Wiseau's passion project."
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