Punched over pigs

Delvoye gives names to all of his tattooed pigs, the one above is Love

Delvoye is famous on the art scene for his pigs, which are worked on by professional tattooists on his Art Farm in China (the only country that allows such a practice to legally take place). The decorated animals are then exhibited in galleries around the world, sometimes alive and other times, as they are in Nice, stuffed.

Wherever they go, it is common for the cries of animal rights protestors to follow. This is despite Delvoye’s claims that the pigs are never hurt, being heavily sedated during the tattooing process and only stuffed after they have died of natural causes. Furthermore, the little piggies are treated like royalty during their lifetime, far better than ones reared for pork. To those who argue that he disregards the rights of the animals, the vegetarian artist says simply: “And are those in factory farms asking to be eaten?” His point, perhaps, is that it is somewhat hypocritical of those happy to munch on a chop or a slice of pork belly to object to what he is doing for his art.

Plenty of local inhabitants, however, disagree with him. The most famous of these has been Brigitte Bardot. The icon and passionate animal rights activist has described the MAMAC exhibition as sickening and called for it to be cancelled. Speaking to Nice Matin, Constance Cluset, spokesperson for the Brigitte Bardot Foundation, said it was a monstrous and sadistic idea and denounced the artist as crazy.

Didier Le Gall, the vice president of the Independent Ecological Movement, has also spoken out against Delvoye, pointing out that studies from the U.S. have shown that psychopaths and criminals often torture animals before turning to their fellow humans.

Given the build up, there was a little more tension in the air on Friday night than is normal for a vernissage. However, the artist wandered around the gallery freely and happily posed for photographers in front of his prized pig project, as well as the other works on display, which have gothic and religious themes. He had just finished filming an interview with a journalist when the attack happened. To a chorus of cries and cheers, the protestor launched at Delvoye but failed to hurt him. The artist was then quickly ushered away by the assistant curator but managed to turn to the crowd on his way out and shout, “Merci tout le monde. Au revoir. Bonne soirée.”

In the wake of Delvoye’s departure, art lovers debated the morality of his work. “I don’t think you can or should compare food with art,” said one anglophone who lives in Nice, “I don’t know enough about this artist at the moment but, for now, I’m not convinced that it’s right to use animals for art.” Kelly Goddard, a passionate amateur photographer from Australia, disagreed. “They’re beautiful,” she told us as she studied their elaborately inked backs, “and from the information I’ve been given about how they’re treated, I’d say that I’m OK with them being used in this way.”

For or against the pig tattooist? Read the full story in the March edition of The Riviera Times. And with the exhibition running until the end of May there is plenty of time to make up your own mind…

www.mamac-nice.org/

HM