Banksy’s Strange Animals Showing in New York
October 9th, 2008 by Nubby
Image via The New York TimesBanksy, the famously mysterious British artist (who has yet to publicly put a face to his work) has been whipping up some fantastical creations in New York City as of late.
Billed as his first official exhibition in New York, a storefront with signage reading “The Village Pet Store and Charcoal Grill” has popped up in Greenwich Village. Now, here’s where it gets really weird: passersby stop dead in their tracks when they notice actual bales of hay lining the city sidewalk and see a mechanical leopard swinging his tail in the shop window.
Upon entering, there are sausages and hotdogs moving along in sand-filled tanks, fishsticks swimming through water-filled aquariums and chicken nuggets singing nearby.
Not to be outdone by these oddities, a massive rabbit wearing a pearl necklace (above) is filing her nails and a frighteningly lifelike monkey is wearing headphones and watching its fellow primates on a television.
What does all of this mean? “I wanted to make art that questioned our relationship with animals and the ethics and sustainability of factory farming,” relayed Banksy. This ‘exhibit’ should definitely get you thinking…and if not, it’s worth the stop for the mind-altering trip alone.
Tags: Art, banksy, exhibition, new york
