1. Icon: Wim Delvoye

Wim Delvoye (Jan 14, 1965) is a Belgian artist known for his shocking projects where provocation and confrontation arise. His creations, like Artfarm and Cloaca (see below) are pushing the boundaries of art and ethics that cause discussion. 

FAMOUS WORKS 

• ARTFARM (STARTED IN 1992 WITH DEAD PIG SKINS, STARTED TO TATTOO LIVE PIGS IN 1997). The tattooed pigs transform into artworks with an added copyright. Slaughtering them is therefore not permitted and punishable. Delvoye places high demands on the circumstances in which the pigs are exhibited, such as a cozy night stay and a company pig (which isn't tattooed). In 2004, Delvoye rented a farm in China. More than 30 tattooed pigs live on this farm with a farm manager, a professional fly swatter and four female tattoo artists employed. 

  • "It is strange that I am not allowed to tattoo four or six pigs, while a friend of mine ... can regularly bring hundreds to the slaughterhouse ... The critics get their ethics rights by saying that art is entertainment, and you can't use animals for that. You can eat as many cows as you want, but if you want to use a live fish on the deck of a sea ship in a movie scene, [an ethical] committee must see to it that nothing wrong happens to that fish", says Delvoye.

  • Some see a small tattoo on the pig as an investment in art. By fattening the pig, their artwork grows.

  •   

• CLOACA is a large installation that turns food into feces. "It is not a human making the shit. It is a machine making the shit ... the machine is stealing our most intimate activity. Something that you can do, it's a personal thing, and you're on your own. It reminds you of you being an animal", says Delvoye about his machine that questions human identity. 

  • Not only ARTFARM, but also Cloaca could be seen as an investment in art. "He also presents [this] as an imitation of 'a company': production, research, logistics, marketing, accounting, advertising. Soon [he] will even issue certificates for [his] shit. Then [he] could really go to the stock exchange ...", writes Stefan Beyst.