Updated
FranceCancellation of Bastien Vivès’ comic book exhibition after “threats”
The Angoulême comic book festival has withdrawn from the program the cartoonist behind controversial works mixing pornography and minors.
It is in particular the work “Petit Paul” which is controversial.
Bastien Vives/Glénat
The Angoulême International Comics Festival (FIBD) announced on Wednesday the cancellation of an exhibition devoted to the cartoonist Bastien Vivès after the “threats” received by this author of controversial works mixing pornography and minors. “Physical threats were made against Bastien Vivès. It is therefore not possible for the event to consider that its programming could pose such risks to an author and, potentially, in a few weeks, to its festival-goers, ”wrote the direction of the Festival, in a press release. . The exhibition “In the eyes of Bastien Vivès” was to open at the end of January, in the city of Charente, on the occasion of this event, the most important for the world of comics.
Online Petition
While the controversy had mounted in recent days, with the launch of an online petition against the exhibition (more than 100,000 signatories), the FIBD had initially estimated that there was no question of modifying its programming. But “new facts have radically changed the nature of this situation and now impose on the Festival the need to cancel this exhibition”, wrote the management. She deplored that “intimidation appears against members of the Festival team”.
successful designer
She also supported Bastien Vivès, a 38-year-old author, who has met with success with a variety of works, including pornographic comics with minor characters (“Petit Paul”), but also sophisticated graphic novels (“A sister “, “Polina”), “French manga” (series “Lastman”) or even the recovery of the character of Corto Maltese (“Black Ocean”, 2021). “The Festival considers that the work of Bastien Vivès, as a whole, falls within the scope of freedom of expression and that it is up to the law to draw the borders in this area and to justice to enforce them”, underlined the FIBD.
The personality of Bastien Vivès is also controversial because of provocative positions or virulent attacks against a feminist designer, Emma. Tuesday evening, the Minister of Culture, Rima Abdul Malak, questioned by Le Parisien, had estimated that “certain remarks” past by Mr. Vivès were “not acceptable”. “I understand the excitement, because these are serious subjects,” she added, while implying that she was in favor of holding the exhibition.
(AFP)