By Gordon Kent

EDMONTON - Edmonton Mayor Stephen Mandel wants four sculptures outside a downtown conference centre removed immediately after local Hindu leaders complained they're disrespectful of one of their beloved gods.

The works by Edmonton artist Ryan McCourt use cast-off industrial material to depict the elephant-headed Ganesha in various poses. In one piece, he stands with his head on the ground beside a pillar holding a breast and female genitals.

The temporary display has been outside the Shaw Conference Centre on Jasper Avenue since last November.

But a letter sent to Mandel on Tuesday describes the sculptures as "debasing depictions of a God revered by all Hindus" and calls for them to be removed.

Edmonton Hindus are upset with the material and style of the pieces, as well as the way Ganesha is linked to female genitals and a breast, said group spokesman Aran Veylan.

The letter, signed by 16 Hindu elders, priests and other officials, also asks the city to ensure that in future, no art using icons from any religion will be approved for this type of display unless approved by representatives from the religion involved.

"We're saying no religious community should see their icons treated in a way that they're not comfortable with when they had no input," Veylan said, adding more than 700 people have signed a petition. "The artist is absolutely free to create whatever art he wants and put it on display in private galleries. Our concern here is that this is a publicly funded, publicly endorsed presentation using tax dollars."

Mandel said he didn't know about the controversy until he received the letter. He said he was told McCourt consulted with Hindus about his project, which the mayor feels artists should do when they deal with religious icons.

However, Mandel doesn't know whether it should become a city policy, saying it could hurt creativity.

"We have to respect people's religious beliefs and we have to respect the freedom of expression."

The statutes won a competition run by the Art and Design in Public Places program, a partnership between the city, businesses and the Works International Visual Arts Society. The conference centre offered the location.

John Mahon, executive director of the Edmonton Arts Council, said opinions on this type of issue can vary widely within a religious group.

"I would say you can't expect artists to get official sign-off from anyone of authority in any one religious tradition, because there is no one authority that can responsibly speak for that religion."