Wim Delvoye is banned from exhibiting tattooed pigs in China

Eight tattooed pigs by Wim Delvoye have been pulled before the opening of SHContemporary in Shanghai, China. The pigs were tattooed with Walt Disney characters and other symbols. There has been no official comment about the ban from the art fair organizers, but Delvoye has made his frustration known, stating, “We have collectors who've traveled to China all the way from Europe to see the pigs. They're very disappointed.''. If they had been purchased by collectors the pigs would have been slaughtered and their preserved skins sold for over $10,000 a piece. Delvoye went on to say that he does not understand why the ban was so “aggressive“.

Wim Delvoye has been tattooing pigs since the 1990s. In recent years it seems that more artists are killing animals in the name of what they call art. Is it art? What are your thoughts on this project? Should a line be drawn between branding animals for slaughter and consumption and tattooing and slaughtering animals in the name of art? What say you?

Jasmine with Unicorn, 2004, 140 x 100 cm, tattoo on pigskin, tanned

Links of Interest:

www.wimdelvoye.be