Controversial performance comes under fire

December 13, 2001
Source: CBC Arts Canada
Original story - link verified on December 13, 2001

The Banff Centre in Alberta has issued an apology following a controversy over a performance art project that used masturbation as a segment of the work. Israel Mora is a Mexican artist in residence at the Centre. Mora's project was criticized not only for the masturbation, but the storage of seven vials of his semen in a refrigerator. The controversy stemmed from the fact that the Banff Center financially supported Mora's work. The Mexican government paid for most of his costs. The Banff Centre contributed $1,300 toward Mora's residency, although an anonymous donor has now pledged to cover that amount. The Banff Centre apologized for offending some people in the community but it's still defending Mora's project. The centre called his work an examination of the concept of privacy in a public context.

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