Locals not blown away by giant inflatable man art

The giant inflatable has been created to depict artist Yue Minjun

A huge pink inflatable man has turned more than just a few heads since he appeared in the grounds of a school.

The 15m (49ft) by 12m (39ft) creation by renowned Chinese artist Yue Minjun is the stand-out exhibit at the first Ruthin International Arts Festival in Denbighshire.

It depicts the artist himself, squatting over a huge white ball, with his face in a grin.

But while it's been embraced by some, other residents are less than impressed by the town's new addition.

"He [Yue Minjun] has his face in all his artwork, this is his theme," said Ruthin School's newly-appointed headteacher Frances King.

"And what he's doing, is asking you to stop, think, laugh, be amused, but maybe also step out of yourself and try to understand what you are doing in the time and the moment that you see it."

Mrs King said the reaction to the inflatable had been "tremendous", with people stopping, laughing and sometimes being "slightly outraged".

But, she believes, it has also served the new arts festival well.

"The whole point... was to take art outside the gallery, into common spaces and make you interact with the space, with the world around you, with the piece of art," she said.

Although not set to become a permanent fixture, the grinning giant has left some locals feeling a little deflated.

Frances King, head teacher of Ruthin School, says the inflatable man is now "part of school life"

Sara Turner-Roberts was one of those who was less than impressed, dubbing the artwork "inappropriate".

"It's a statement," she said. "It doesn't look particularly happy. It's outside a school so I just think it's a bit inappropriate. It's distracting for drivers going past... I can't see that it's very arty.

"Ruthin is a small community. It's not particularly good looking."

Also unconvinced was Emily Pierce, who added: "I personally don't like it - I don't know much about art but I find that quite off-putting."

She said she didn't think it was a good fit for "a historic town" like Ruthin.

"It looks quite aggressive, quite angry in my opinion."

Emily Pierce was not a fan of the artwork

But Jane Hession could see the potential benefit of such a work of art going on display in Ruthin, even if she thought it "a bit of an eyesore" when she first saw it.

"Artists might see that art is being shown in Ruthin and it might attract others. It might open things up for Ruthin,” she said.

"And with just having the Eisteddfod in Llangollen, who knows what's going to happen with it... if it promotes Ruthin and helps artists and people coming to see it, to attract people to Ruthin, well, it's doing some good."

The inflatable is due to come down on Sunday when the art festival comes to an end, but it won't be heading back to China.

Instead, it will be packed away to remain at Ruthin School where it might occasionally be brought out and reinflated.

Mrs King said students at the school were very fond of their blow-up art installation and "he is part of the school life now".