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A-maze-ing Laughter

A-maze-ing Laughter is a patinated bronze sculpture designed by Yue Minjun and installed in Morton Park at Davie and Denman along English Bay in Vancouver’s West End in 2009. Composed of 14 statues, each about three metres tall and weighing over 250 kilograms, it depicts the artist’s own image in a state of hysterical laughter. The work was created as part of the Vancouver International Sculpture Biennale, which presents international contemporary works in public spaces. On August 11, 2012, it was donated to the City of Vancouver by Chip and Shannon Wilson through the Wilson5 Foundation. An inscription in the cement seating reads: “May this sculpture inspire laughter playfulness and joy in all who experience it.”

A-maze-ing Laughter sculptures of bald men with laughing expressions in a waterfront park.
A-maze-ing Laughter sculptures stand in a park near the water, with city buildings and trees in the background.
August 2016 © · CC BY-SA 2.0
A-maze-ing Laughter sculpture with metallic human-like figures in an outdoor plaza, with buildings and trees behind it.
A-maze-ing Laughter stands in an outdoor plaza with modern buildings and trees in the background.
August 2014 © · CC BY-SA 4.0
A-maze-ing Laughter statues standing on sandy ground with city buildings and trees behind them.
The A-maze-ing Laughter sculptures stand in an urban park with buildings and trees in the background.
November 2024 © · CC BY-SA 4.0
A-maze-ing Laughter sculpture with dark metallic laughing figures in a semicircle outdoors.
A-maze-ing Laughter in Vancouver, showing the large dark figures arranged in a semicircle on a landscaped site.
March 2013 © · CC BY 2.0
A-maze-ing Laughter bronze statues in a public square with a high-rise building and palm trees behind them.
A-maze-ing Laughter stands in a Vancouver square with a colorful high-rise and palm trees in the background.
April 2026 © · CC BY 4.0

Identification

TitleA-maze-ing Laughter

Creator

DesignerYue Minjun

Historical context

Installation year2009
Project contextCreated as part of the Vancouver International Sculpture Biennale, an event exhibiting international contemporary works in public spaces

Location and ownership

Donation recipientthe City of Vancouver
Installation siteMorton Park (Davie and Denman), along English Bay in West End, Vancouver

Physical characteristics

Composition14 statues
Heightabout three metres tall each
Weightover 250 kilograms each

Materials

MaterialPatinated bronze

Iconography and meaning

Depicted subjectthe artist's own image
Depicted expressiona state of hysterical laughter

Discovery and provenance

DonorsChip and Shannon Wilson
Donation vehiclethe Wilson5 Foundation
Donation dateAugust 11, 2012

Appearance

Inscription"May this sculpture inspire laughter playfulness and joy in all who experience it."
Inscription locationcarved into cement seating

Significance

NominationGreat Places in Canada Contest 2013
DistinctionThe only work of public art to receive a nomination in the Great Places in Canada Contest 2013