Students' guerrilla art removed by UC Security

Image Supplied by Hana Sellens

A university of Canterbury Fine Arts student says her political poster series was removed by UC Security in the early hours on Friday the 30th of May, sparking debate over freedom of expression and the boundaries of creative activism on campus. 

Hana Sellens, a fourth-year student, created the posters as part of her final-year research project ‘Effervescent Collective’, a body of work confronting the climate crisis and the role of design in shaping public discourse. 

“This body of work was a way to channel my climate anxiety,” Sellens told Canta. 

“While it expresses my own angle and overwhelm, I was also trying to ask questions that make people stop and think.” 

Sellens said she wants to encourage empathy and guide audiences to think about people far away who “are already being harmed by our inaction.” 

The posters, which use bold colours and direct language, were installed in various locations on campus. 

While Sellens had written permission for displays near the Fine Arts building, she placed additional posters in unauthorised spaces.  

She said UC security approached her and another student while they were still in the process of putting the final ones up. 

“I naively thought they were just going to be like, hmm, what are you doing? And go on their way,” she said. 

“Instead, it felt like they were trying to assert authority. They even assumed we didn’t go to the uni, which was weird.” 

Sellens said security told her she “couldn’t have negative messaging” on campus. 

“Criticism of a government, sure, it can be negative, but these concepts are subjective. A security guard is in no position to judge whether something is too political or too emotional.” 

Dr Donald Matherson, a UC academic, said the incident undermines the very purpose of the university. 

“The uni needs to be a place that encourages you to challenge established thought and power,” he said. 

“This was guerrilla art that was rude to the Government and on a wall the uni wants kept clean, but the message UC is sending isn’t about tidiness, it’s about tidying away critical and creative thinking.” 

Sellens said UC’s approach reflects a wider issue and feels like a weak attempt at being neutral. 

A University of Canterbury spokesperson responded, saying “we encourage students to use the appropriate channels, such as UCSA-managed poster bollards and noticeboards, to share materials on campus.” 

“As outlined in UC’s Event Management Policy, places such as walls, windows, doors, columns, and other building surfaces are not available for advertising or posting materials.” 

UC Security has the delegated authority to step in when needed. 

UC remains committed to providing spaces for dialogue, creativity and diverse perspectives within an environment that is safe, respectful, and consistent with our policies.” 

As of publication, Sellens has not reinstalled the posters. 

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