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(Hartford, Connecticut) Lamar Outdoor Advertising
has turned down posters for an exhibit of Polish art in Hartford, Connecticut
because they feature same-sex couples holding hands.
Real Art Ways is featuring an
exhibit of young avant garde Polish artists including 24-year old Karolina Bregula.
Lamar's Hartford office has originally agreed to the billboard campaign, but
turned down the images of Bregula's when it saw it.
Lamar's regional vice president Steve
Hebert said the company had offered the gallery five free 12-foot by 25-foot
billboards at no cost. The billboards usually would rent for $1350 each.
Hebert told 365Gay.com that he was
concerned the images (pictured) could invite vandalism. He said that three other billboard
designs featuring works by other artists had been approved.
Real Art Ways says that if the
company rejected a billboard because it featured same-sex couples it did not
want to take any ad space with the company.
"To
make a decision like this based on the anticipated actions of bigots," said
Real Art Ways
’ Executive Director Will K. Wilkins, "does a real disservice to the gay and lesbian community and the
broader community as well.”
Bregula is one of 31 contemporary Polish artists
the gallery is featuring in its POZA exhibit.
Marek Bartelik, guest curator of the show,
said the images are no more provocative
than "a print ad for the Gap or Bennetton."
The pictures have already been featured on
billboards in Poland. In 2003 Bregula returned to Poland after spending
three years in Sweden and said she was astonished at the plight of Polish gays.
With a grant from the governments of Sweden and Denmark, she created the
campaign using pictures of gay couples in affectionate poses. “Let them see
us,” was the campaign’s slogan.
The
billboards went up in Polish cities later in 2003 and were to remain in
place for 90 days, but after two weeks were torn down or painted over by officials
after complaints from the Catholic Church.
Lamar Advertising is based in Baton Rouge,
Louisiana and has offices in 40 states and in
Canada.
©365Gay.com 2006
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