The Artist Who Kills and Tatoos Pigs
Thu, Jun 5, 2008
Image via skirmisher.org
‘Because they grow fast and they are so much better to tattoo than fish.’- Wim Delvoye
Belgian Conceptual Artist Wim Delvoye has been tattooing live pigs since 1997. Tattoos that range from Disney characters such as Ariel the Mermaid to Louis Vuitton logos are spread all over the pig’s body. It’s a gradual process, that results in the pigs looking like Yakuza gang members. They are then killed at a certain age and their skins are stretched across canvases and made into paintings.
Image by Flickr user Dalbera
Image by Flickr user Dalbera
Typical of Delvoye’s beautiful/fugly aesthetics, he considers the pigs as growing paintings and regularly perverts nature in his work. With the help of a Japanese scientist for example, Delvoye made a machine that’s sole purpose was to produce shit: this 2000 piece was entitled ‘Cloaca.’
In 2005 Delvoye extended the pigs’ pieces by opening a pig farm in China where the rules are less strict towards animal welfare. Named ‘The Art Farm Pigs Growth Fund,’ the farm is home to nine sows and nine boars and of course three resident tattoo artists.
Delvoye who saves the pigs from Chinese slaughter houses claims that ‘art has saved their lives’, the pigs however are eventually stuffed or skinned to become ‘paintings’ and ‘sculptures.’ The complexities that arise from this bizarre situation can be legitimized by seeing it as art or it can be seen as inane and cruel, watch the video and decide for yourself.
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June 5th, 2008 at 7:41 pm
I didn’t watch the video because this is rediculous. That’s torture to the pigs and just stupid. It’s not art. Art should be voluntary and not cause pain to anyone.
June 5th, 2008 at 8:13 pm
Initially, this seemed very cruel but after watching the video, you learn that the pigs are under anesthesia so the tattooing process presumably doesn’t hurt them.
Still, this seems kind of beautiful and grotesque at the same time. Not really sure how to reconcile that…
June 6th, 2008 at 7:05 am
It isn’t treating the pigs any worse than if they were allowed to stay in the slaughter houses. Personally, I don’t see what is wrong with it. They are prolonging the lives of pigs that would die anyway. They put them under anesthesia and treat them well on the farm. And as far as displaying the skins, animal skins are used for clothes, rugs, shoes, all kinds of things, why is that any different than using them for art?
June 6th, 2008 at 1:27 pm
It’s very macabre. There is a direct parallel to humanity - the branding, killing and skinning of the animals seems to belie some other fantasy of power / control. I’d hate to think what goes through this guys mind! What does he dream about?
June 6th, 2008 at 4:40 pm
I love the way he compares the PIGS WITH THE JEWS !!!!!
June 6th, 2008 at 7:13 pm
Hans!! You idiot - Yakuza are Japanese. You’re the pig.