The Angoulême International Comics Festival announced on Wednesday the cancellation of an exhibition devoted to the designer 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 Vives 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. 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.
Supported Bastien Vivès
She deplored that “intimidation appears against members of the Festival team”. It also supported Bastien Vivès, a 38-year-old author who has found success with a variety of works, including pornographic comics with minor characters (Little Paul), but also sophisticated graphic novels (A sister, Polina), “French-style manga” (series Cargo man) or the revival of the character of Corto Maltese (black ocean2021).
“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 boundaries 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. On Tuesday evening, Culture Minister Rima Abdul Malak, interviewed by The Parisian, had considered that “certain remarks” made by Bastien 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.