City of Vancouver says it will remove 'unsanctioned' giant spider sculpture, artist fighting to save it

The City of Vancouver says it will remove an "unsanctioned" sculpture of a giant spider that popped up under an East Vancouver overpass.

The artwork, located beneath a Victoria Drive overpass near Broadway and visible from the nearby SkyTrain line, was created by Montreal artist Junko Playtime, who is known for crafting sculptures from reclaimed materials.

The artist posted a picture of it on Instagram Friday, calling on the public to ask the city to keep the artwork there.

"It seems odd that the city has no problem with all the garbage on the tracks but plans to spend money to remove artwork made from garbage that many people enjoy!" reads the Instagram post.

The city said in a statement it was first made aware of the artwork last week and that it was not consulted over its installation.

"The city has been working with its partners to discuss the best path forward for the removal, to ensure there is no damage to the bridge structure, and that the removal is done safely with minimal service level impacts to the adjacent rail lines," said the statement.

The spider's location, a corridor for the SkyTrain, CN Rail and BNSF Railway, is managed by several companies.

But some in the neighbourhood said they'd be sorry to see the giant spider go.

"We really like it ... we hope it stays there for a long time," said East Vancouver resident Dave Peters.

The city said it will allow the owner of the artwork to claim the piece during the removal process.