The Artist Who Kills and Tatoos Pigs

[neoprodigy]

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 ****: 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.

 

[Aqua Sanctuary]

I don't like it .. its inhumane and pointless. the sum of human nature I suppose.

 

[puntoturbo]

****ing SICK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Death Pony]

Ewww........... I can't stand artists like this.

 

[Bsixxx]

"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"

Does this make any since?

 

[cichlaguapote]

He got the idea from tattoo artists practicing on pig skin for sure..

kinda strange, and not a great reason to raise or kill an animal.. but before someone brings it up.. as a bacon eater what can I say?

 

[Freeze_Dried_Bloodworm]

that's not art.. it's torture!

 

[nativelover]

cool.

but why doesnt he just get the hides and tattoo those?

 

[Chaitika]

You'd only have a certain window of time in which to tattoo a hide. A living pig allows hime to work on it for several months.

Someone should hold him down and tattoo him with a nail gun and 3" ardox nails....

 

[hmoobvwj]

IDK? Every artist have their own way of doing things...some normal and some out of this universe. Maybe it satisfies him to do so...and yea why would you say you save something and then do something unnatural to it, then later on killing it? That is sad....