Atlas Man to shrug off damage and stand again, artist says

Fredericton's fallen superhero will rise again.

Gerald Beaulieu plans to rebuild his sculpture called Atlas Man, which was damaged over the weekend.

The sculpture was found Monday morning, tipped over with both his hands broken off, in Fredericton's Garrison District.

Initial reports had said the damage wasan act ofvandalism, but police now say they aren't surewhetherthe figurefell or was pushed. A nearby security camera yielded no clues.

Beaulieu plans to build a more solid concrete foundation for Atlas Man, and for all four superhero sculptures he is creating at Gallery Connexion.

"There's probably damage to about 20 per cent" of the [Atlas Man] figure," he told CBC Radio.

"But he was built out of a lot of pieces. So it's just a matter of putting the pieces back together. He'll have a few scars, but he'll be whole … eventually."

The larger-than-life figure, a muscular man that resembles the 1970s superhero Incredible Hulk, was posed holding up the side of the New Brunswick College of Craft and Design.

Beaulieu was in residency atartist-run Gallery Connexionuntil July 3, and had planned to create four superheroes during that time.

The extra time Beaulieu will require to finish the work will cost more, gallery director Elaney Boucopolis said, but there isa bright side.

"It's just raised a lot of interest in the city about the project," she said.

"It was already getting quite a bit of publicity, but it's not hurting inthat way. We even had citizens calling the gallery today volunteering to help him out."