18 — Friday, June 12, 1998 — North Shore News Artist charges censorship . VANCOUVER Art Gallery’s large-scale show of First Nations masks has North Vancouver artist David Neel crying censorship. Neel, 2 member of the Kw: agiutl Nation who | has exhibited at the Smithsonian Insticution and the National Gallery of Canada, is upset over the gallery’s decision not to Frclude his mask in the show Down Fron: the Shimmering Shy. In a recent press release, Neel, 38, stated that kis work, entitled Kuwaiti Smoke Creature, had been “excluded in favor of a more conserva- tive exhibition.” Neel’s mask was inspired by the environmental disaster of oil fires lit by Saddam Hussein’s forces during the Gulf War, said the artist, and was purchased by the gallery this past year with a grant from the Canada Council. Larée CHRISTENSEN ARTS BRIEFS “Icis hard to understand why the VAG would purchase my work with public funds and then leave it our of the intended show because it is not deemed ‘conservative’ enough,” wrote Neel. But the gallery's senior curator Bruce Grenville has a different version of events. Neel’s work, said Grenville, was accepted into the show, for display in an “adjunct space” that showcas- es non-traditional masks by Bill Reid, Dempsey Bob and others. But Necl withdrew his work because he objected to the gallery classifying his work as non-traditional, said Grenville. Grenville also objected to Neel’s claim the gallery’s deci- sion to not show the work it had purchased amounted to “a waste of public funds.” “Just because it’s not in. this show doesn’t mean we: won’t shaw it again,” said Stellar connections ATLANTA was host to the best astrological minds our world has to offer last month at the United Astrology NETESS. ™ - VACU U Me , _ Centre ‘= 2433 Marine Dr., West Van 922-9335 _ we EN