SWINE ART:
Meet the pig whose artworks are raising awareness about better treatment of farm animals
If you’re in the market for abstract art, OINK! has plenty of options for prospective buyers. That’s the name of Pigcasso’s hugely successful debut exhibition – the first ever by a non-human headliner.
The masterpieces by the pig who was rescued from slaughter go by names like
Life is Beautiful and Brexit, and have sold to buyers around the world, from New York to Germany to China and, recently, Francois Pienaar. After the local exhibit, there are plans to take the artworks to London and Berlin. Pigcasso even received an offer to appear on America’s Got Talent, although this may not be possible. ‘She’s rather large and weighs 204kg; I worry that if she goes on a plane she might eat it from
There’s a new artist making waves in the world of abstract expressionism – her name is Pigcasso and her most expensive masterpiece sold for R36 000...
‘With Pigcasso, the mission is just to say, “There’s more to pigs than bacon,” and to encourage consumers to think about things a little differently.’
the inside out!’ says Joanne Lefson, founder of Farm Sanctuary SA.
It was Joanne who saved Pigcasso from a Western Cape pig farm in May two years ago. She would have been slaughtered in September of that year. ‘One can’t call these places farms,’ says Joanne. ‘They’re industrialised factories. These animals are kept in confinement. I managed to pull out two piglets – the other one is named Rosy. They were Farm Sanctuary’s first rescued animals.’
Joanne founded Farm Sanctuary SA in 2016 with the aim of changing people’s thinking around the treatment of farm animals. All proceeds from Pigcasso’s oeuvre go towards the sanctuary, an NPO.
‘There’s a disconnect in society between humans and some animals,’ says Joanne. ‘There’s no disconnect between us and dogs and cats, but it’s not the same with equally intelligent farm animals. It’s more of a philosophical discussion for me – if consumers made the connection between what they eat and the life of Pigcasso, for example, they’d be informed enough to want to support only industries that have empathy and compassion in production.’
So how did Pigcasso discover her métier? Joanne laughs: ‘I needed to keep her and Rosy entertained and I threw a few things into the pen – a soccer ball, tennis ball and a couple of paintbrushes that had been lying around. The paintbrushes evoked an interest in Pigcasso
– it was the only thing she didn’t eat or demolish! I thought, “That’s interesting...” I decided to nurture that potential talent by working with her with some points of reinforcement, and it wasn’t long before she was dancing the paintbrush across the canvas, creating these masterpieces.’
It took a bit of encouragement from Joanne for Pigcasso to master her painting skills, but that’s the point, she says.
‘These animals are intelligent, individual beings. It didn’t take Pigcasso long.’ Does Rosy have a special talent? ‘Rosy isn’t interested in anything but consuming everything – she’d eat the barn if she could!’
A true artist, Pigcasso doesn’t do anything she doesn’t want to and paints when she feels like it.
‘She’s the queen diva – you can’t make her do anything she doesn’t want to,’ Joanne says. ‘The only thing I do for her is mix the paint, and provide her with strawberry treats. Generally, she paints if I set it up for her. It can take her some time to do a painting: she’ll do some strokes and wander off, then come back and do a couple more. There’s no rush.’
Pigcasso usually creates about two artworks a month. When she’s not painting, she likes to eat, sleep and take mud baths, on repeat.
‘With Pigcasso, the mission is just to say, “There’s more to pigs than bacon,” and to encourage consumers to think about things differently. Not to necessarily say people shouldn’t eat animals – we’re a positive organisation for people to rather say “maybe I can start a meatless Monday?” or make a kinder choice by supporting the right places.’
It’s not just about the animals themselves, says Joanne.
‘The other part of the picture is the environmental effect of meat production. The meat industry is the leading cause of climate change. It’s a no-brainer that in order to sustain the planet we have to change the way we eat. Even when it comes to the water situation – most water in the Western Cape goes to animal production; it’s vital to get conversations going around these issues.’
You too can purchase an original Pigcasso, online at www.pigcasso. org or pay a visit to Farm Sanctuary SA (www.farmsanctuarysa.org) in Franschhoek. Each artwork is signed with a snout print.
‘It’s just a different, out-of-thebox, fun idea to highlight a serious and important cause,’ says Joanne. ‘I wanted to create interesting stories around some of these animals to inspire people to start their own compassionate journey with farm animals.’