Marco Evaristti’s provocative exhibition in Copenhagen was a protest against Denmark’s pork industry, while freeing the piglets were an act of care.

In Copenhagen, an art installation featuring three piglets has taken an unexpected turn after the animals were stolen. The artist behind the performative piece that involved small animals, Marco Evaristti, had placed them inside a cage without any food or water, hoping to leave them to starve as part of his “ provocative artwork”.

Titled And Now You Care?, the installation was set up in a former butcher’s warehouse. Evaristti’s claims he wanted  to draw attention to the ethical issues surrounding Denmark’s pig farming industry, which has been under intense scrutiny. But so was the Artist, when the world reacted to the necessity of such an art piece, which threatens innocent pig lives.

Originally from Santiago, Chile, and now based in Denmark, Evaristti is no stranger to controversy. His past works include making meatballs from his own liposuctioned fat, gruesome, yet a unique approach to the ridiculousness of art. Another one of his works involved crafting a golden Auschwitz model using the teeth of his Jewish grandmother, and displaying live goldfish in blenders that visitors could operate. The gory approach has led to wide recognition of the artist. 

For this latest piece, he also showcased paintings of slaughtered piglets, their blood dripping onto a Danish flag. However, things didn’t go as planned. By Saturday, just a day after the installation opened, the piglets had mysteriously disappeared. Evaristti told The New York Times that they seemed to have been taken while a cleaning crew was at work.

On investigation, it was found out that one of Evaristti’s team members, was the one who freed the pigs, in a bid to satisfy his conscience. “There was no Burglary or theft” Said OASA, Organisation Against the Suffering of Animals, who were contacted by the team member, that was taking care of the three piglets before the show opened.

Artists along with the member, both claim that freeing of the animals was not a pre-planned publicity stunt.  Now instead of using live animals, Evaristti has decided to display dead bodies of piglets straight out of Danish Farms just to keep the display going and the conversation rolling. 

Feature Image Courtesy- CBS news