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In June 2015, the art world took note when animal rights activists staged a protest at a gallery exhibiting live animals in New York City. Both the art press and the mainstream media reported on the controversy. One year later, that protest is referenced in a new article in the Financial Times about Maurizio Cattelan, an artist who is using live donkey in his exhibit at the Frieze Art Fair in NYC: “The US animal rights lobby is increasingly vociferous. Last year, they called out Gavin Brown’s NY Gallery for restaging Jannis Kounellis’s installation of 12 live horses. Is he [Maurizio Cattelan] not worried about protests?”

According to the Financial Times, the exhibit – entitled “Enter at Your Own Risk — Do Not Touch, Do Not Feed, No Smoking, No Photographs, No Dogs, Thank you” – features “a live donkey alone in a room lit by a baroque chandelier.”

Sole donkey to be exhibited at Frieze Art Fair in NYC

Cattelan claims that the donkey will have everything “it” needs, including the company of others: “I’m pretty sure it won’t feel lonely, with so many people passing by.”

https://youtu.be/kRHFAVaowP0

Cattelan is better known for using taxidermy in his art installations. According to his Wikipedia page, these “works are designed to connect humans and animals through the projections of human emotions which the former places on the latter.”

Maurizio Cattelan displays dead animals

Activists argue that animals – dead or alive – are not exhibits. “If we wouldn’t use a toddler in an art installation, then why should we use a donkey, who would be every bit as confused and out of place?” said Donny Moss of TheirTurn.net. “And if we wouldn’t stuff our grandmothers and suspend them from the ceiling, then why should we do the same to horses? Has our false sense of superiority over other animals given us license to do whatever we want with them? ”

The live donkey will be exhibited at the Frieze Art Fair on Randall’s Island Park from May 5 – 8.  Please contact Frieze to give the company feedback on the use of live animals at its art fair.

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NYC office: +1 212 463 7488
Email: infonyc@frieze.com

The good news is that the Aspen Art Museum shut down its exhibit of wandering African tortoises and sent them to a tortoise sanctuary in a warmer climate. The bad news is that the international publicity generated by this controversy could trigger other artists and museums to use animals as a way of drawing attention to themselves. The museum, which has, in essence, been rewarded for exploiting animals, says that their decision to close the exhibit a month early was based on the cold forecast, not the protests.

Photo: Kathryn Scott Osler, The Denver Post)

While the publicity surrounding the tortoises might be the reason why the “exhibit” was shut down, it might also be the reason why other artists decide to exploit animals. In fact, we don’t need to look far to see a more recent example. A NYC-based fashion designer has received far more attention than he otherwise would because he is using horse-drawn carriages as part of his runway show in early September. If the activists ignore the exploiters, then they won’t get the attention they want. On the flip side, the animals won’t get the help they need.

Animal rights activists have taken out full page ads in the Aspen Times asking people to boycott the Aspen Art Museum until it removes the “exhibit” of tortoises wandering around an enclosure with iPads affixed to their shells. The iPads are displaying images of nearby ghost towns. Local activists say that the exhibit not only exploits the animals but also sends a message to people that affixing objects to animals is acceptable. For more background about the exhibit, please see Aspen Art Museum Under Fire for iPad-toting Tortoise Exhibit.

Ad in the Aspen Times

I don’t know if this ad asking for a boycott will reduce attendance or trigger interest in the exhibit. I can’t help but think, however, that many people will see the words “Take the iPads off of the tortoises” and ask themselves, “Why the hell are they gluing iPads to tortoises? That seems wrong.” As I mentioned in a previous post, African turtles belong in Africa, not in Aspen — serving as mobile TV stands. According to the museum, these turtles were “rescued” from a breeder where they were living in an over-crowded pen. Is the artist going to take care of these turtles for life when the exhibit ends?  Doubtful!  This museum should place these tortoises in a sanctuary and then produce a photo exhibit entitled “From Museum Captivity to Freedom.” Here’s an online petition to shut down his exploitive exhibit. Please share.

Excitement surrounding the opening of Aspen’s new $45 million art museum has been overshadowed by anger over a two month exhibit of African tortoises walking around with iPads mounted to their shells. The iPads are displaying photos of “Aspen Ghost Towns” (whatever that means). In response to protests, a local vet issued a statement: “The tortoises have adapted well to their new habitat, and the iPads have not interfered in any way with their natural behavior.” Aspen resident Lisbeth Oden, who has experience working with tortoises, says, “To have anything attached to them is exploitation for human enjoyment.”

African turtles belong in Africa, not in Aspen — serving as mobile TV stands for a thoughtless artist and museum curator. According to the museum, these turtles were “rescued” from a breeder where they were living in an over-crowded pen. Is the artist going to take care of these turtles for life when the exhibit ends?  Doubtful!  This museum should place these tortoises in a sanctuary and then have an exhibit of photos entitled “From Museum Captivity to Freedom.” Here’s an online petition to shut down his exploitive exhibit. Please share.