Delvoye established his Art Farm a decade ago in a suburb of Beijing. At Art Farm, he has raised around 100 pigs and tattoos them with his co-artists.
A piece of such tattooed pigskin can sell for up to 1,000,000 yuan ($161,670), and has mostly been sought by foreign art collectors, according to a report by Caijing.com.cn. As living art, these pigs have all been inked with their very own intricate designs, drawing materials from well-known figures, animals and ancient myths. They are tattooed two hours every week from the age of two or three months.
"Instead of producing art, I wanted to harvest it," Delvoye said. China does not have any legal restrictions regarding such treatment, which was a major reason why Wim chose Beijing to set up his studio. Netizens have expressed grave concern over the art.
“This is sick! Abusing animals and making profits under the cover of art!” @Yangxiaomaomao “Is there anything crueler than killing them and eating them?” @Zhengzhengzhengxiaominger “Artists and wealth are always beyond one’s understanding.” @Buyaojiaowochangxiaoxingxingle
