CRIQUI JEAN-PIERRE. — WIM DELVOYE. PIGS,

, IDES ET CALENDES EDITIONS, 1999 Bound, Cloth. 222 mm Haut-296 mm, 108pp., colour illustrations.Text: French / English. ISBN 9782825802366. Wim Delvoye was born in Wervik, Belgium in 1965. He?s since become well-known in the art community for his provocative works employing a range of rather unconventional materials, to include fecal matter. In the 1990s, Delvoye began to experiment with tattoo art; more specifically, tattooing the skin of dead pigs. But by 1997, the artist moved on to a new material: live animals. Using the skin of live pigs as his canvas, Delvoye shocked European audiences and angered animal rights groups across the continent. In 2004 he bought a farm in a small village outside of Beijing, where animal rights laws are practically non-existent. He systematically elaborated a new concept that he called his ?Art Farm.? Here, specialists look after his pigs, while the artist sedates them, shaves their skin, and tattoos them. Veterinarians treat their skin after the process to ensure that their wounds are clean and their skin is properly moisturized.