Artist arrested on Easter Island

By at 7:46 am Tuesday, Apr 19

Canadian sculptor Bill Vazan, 71, is accused by Easter Island authorities of moving small rocks from archaeologically-significant sites to construct land artworks. The island's head of criminal investigations, Carlos Soto, says that Vazan is not under arrest but must stay put while under investigation. He could be penalized $520 or up to three years in jail. From Reuters:
Images Island Photos Easter Island Soto said Vazan had volunteered to pay $1,000 for the damage. The sculptor paid 20-year-old Genaro Gatica, an Easter Island resident, $25 a day to help carry stones.

Vazan, in interviews with local media, said that Gatica was supposed to help him identify sacred stones so he could avoid using them.

"He went in front of me saying this rock yes, these others no. ... Now it appears that two of the rocks I used had value, but it was never my intention to cause harm," he told La Tercera newspaper.
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David Pescovitz

Collector of anomalies, esoterica, and curiosities.

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