<a href="http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_739153.html" target="_blank">http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_739153.html</a><br><br><br><br>
A Belgian animal rights group has protested against the plans of a famous vegetarian artist to tattoo piglets as a piece of art.<br><br><br><br>
Wim Delvoye says he wants to tattoo 23 piglets weighing about 50kg with poems and then exhibit them during a cultural festival in Watou in the summer.<br><br><br><br>
"At the end of the summer the pigs will weigh about 300kg and the poems will have reached a huge size", Mr Delvoye said.<br><br><br><br>
The artist says he wants to protest against the attitude of considering art more and more as a financial investment.<br><br><br><br>
"The value of paintings is rising and so will do the pigs", he said.<br><br><br><br>
Because animal rights group Gaia has protested against the idea, Mr Delvoye has promised to take proper care of the animals.<br><br><br><br>
The tattoo session will be filmed and all the animals will receive sedation before being tattooed.<br><br><br><br>
"They won't feel anything", promised Mr Delvoye. "And we will use cream in the summer to prevent them getting sunburn.<br><br><br><br>
"And after the festival the animals won't go to the butcher. I'm a convinced vegetarian myself and I'm against animals suffering."<br><br><br><br>
Gaia is said to be pleased the artist and organisers of the festival have agreed to a meeting.
A Belgian animal rights group has protested against the plans of a famous vegetarian artist to tattoo piglets as a piece of art.<br><br><br><br>
Wim Delvoye says he wants to tattoo 23 piglets weighing about 50kg with poems and then exhibit them during a cultural festival in Watou in the summer.<br><br><br><br>
"At the end of the summer the pigs will weigh about 300kg and the poems will have reached a huge size", Mr Delvoye said.<br><br><br><br>
The artist says he wants to protest against the attitude of considering art more and more as a financial investment.<br><br><br><br>
"The value of paintings is rising and so will do the pigs", he said.<br><br><br><br>
Because animal rights group Gaia has protested against the idea, Mr Delvoye has promised to take proper care of the animals.<br><br><br><br>
The tattoo session will be filmed and all the animals will receive sedation before being tattooed.<br><br><br><br>
"They won't feel anything", promised Mr Delvoye. "And we will use cream in the summer to prevent them getting sunburn.<br><br><br><br>
"And after the festival the animals won't go to the butcher. I'm a convinced vegetarian myself and I'm against animals suffering."<br><br><br><br>
Gaia is said to be pleased the artist and organisers of the festival have agreed to a meeting.