Vancouver Biennale wants everyone to have a laugh.
On July 13 the non-profit is hosting a Day of Laughter among the “laughing men” sculptures in English Bay
Chinese artist Yue Minjun, the man behind one of the city’s most iconic public art installations, will join in.
Yue’s A-maze-ing Laughter, which is made up of 14 giant bronze men, all feature Yue’s smiling face.
This is Yue’s first trip to Vancouver and his first opportunity to see his sculptures in situ. The sculptures were part of the 2009-2011 Biennale, which gifted the sculptures to the city in 2012 after Yue lowered his $5 million asking price to $1.5 million — the amount donated to the project by Lululemon’s Chip and Shannon Wilson.
“Throughout the day, we’d also like to share the laughter with people near and far,” Vancouver Biennale said. “Strike a pose, take a silly photo, tell a joke, let us know what makes you laugh and why it’s important to you.”
Thursday’s event starts at 10 a.m. at Morton Park at the foot of Denman Street. A laughing yoga session starts at noon.
The event is sponsored by Vancouver Biennale, the West End Business Improvement Association and Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation.
For more information visit www.vancouverbiennale.com. The group can also be found on Facebook at www.facebook.com/VancouverBiennale, Twitter at @Van_Biennale and Instagram at @Van_Biennale, and is encouraging people to use the hashtags #VanBiennale and #VBDayofLaughter.
