Latest news with #Evaristti
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Piglets left to starve as part of a controversial art exhibition in Denmark have been stolen
Three piglets which were being allowed to starve as part of a controversial art exhibition in Denmark that had drawn international attention have been stolen, the artist said on Wednesday. Chilean-born Marco Evaristti said he had been aiming to raise awareness of the suffering caused by mass meat production with his art installation that opened last week in Copenhagen. The piglets were being denied food and water and would have been allowed to starve to death. But in an unexpected twist Evaristti has revealed that the piglets — dubbed Lucia, Simon and Benjamin — were taken by animal rights activists who were assisted by his friend, Caspar Steffensen. 'I called up police on Saturday to report the piglets stolen and I had to shut down the entire exhibition because of that — so I was very disappointed when Caspar told me on Tuesday that he was involved in the theft,' said Evaristti, who claimed to have received hate mail. 'But then I thought about it for a few hours and realized that at least this way the piglets would have a happy life," he added. Copenhagen police confirmed Wednesday that it had received reports 'that the pigs had been stolen from the exhibition.' Evaristti's 'And Now You Care' exhibition involved a makeshift cage created with shopping carts containing the three piglets. He said the intention of the art installation was to raise awareness about the cruelties of modern pig production in Denmark. The Animal Protection Denmark welfare group says that sows are bred in the Danish pig industry to produce about 20 piglets at a time, but only have 14 teats, forcing the piglets to compete for breastmilk, leading to starvation of many. However, several animal rights groups expressed concern about Evaristti's exhibition, saying that while they welcomed initiatives to raise awareness they did not condone the abuse of animals. Steffensen said he could not allow the three animals to face a painful death after his 10-year-old daughter had begged him to 'make sure the piggies won't die.' 'So when I was approached by an activist to help free the animals, I let them into the gallery secretively on Saturday,' Steffensen told the AP. He said he wasn't initially planning to tell Evaristti about the removal of the pigs, but when the animal advocate group De Glemte Danske posted a statement online Tuesday saying it had rescued the piglets, the secret operation became public. Evaristti says he is already developing ways to revive the exhibition. One idea is to steal dead piglets from meat processing plants and present them to the public. He also wants to buy another three piglets — not to starve, but to auction to the highest bidder promising them a happy life. 'I got a lot of hate messages from around the world — I think people don't get that my art is about animals rights,' Evaristti said.
Euronews
06-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Euronews
Piglets left to starve in Danish art exhibition have been stolen
The artist aimed to raise awareness about the cruelties of modern pig production in Denmark. ADVERTISEMENT Three piglets which were being starved as part of a controversial art exhibition in Denmark have been stolen, the artist revealed yesterday (5 March). Chilean-born Marco Evaristti said he had been aiming to raise awareness of the suffering caused by mass meat production with his art installation that opened last week in Copenhagen. The piglets were being denied food and water and would have been allowed to starve to death. But in an unexpected twist Evaristti has revealed that the piglets - dubbed Lucia, Simon and Benjamin - were taken by animal rights activists who were assisted by his friend, Caspar Steffensen. 'I called up police on Saturday to report the piglets stolen and I had to shut down the entire exhibition because of that - so I was very disappointed when Caspar told me on Tuesday that he was involved in the theft,' said Evaristti, who claimed to have received hate mail. 'But then I thought about it for a few hours and realised that at least this way the piglets would have a happy life," he added. Copenhagen police confirmed Wednesday that it had received reports 'that the pigs had been stolen from the exhibition.' Why were the piglets being left to starve? Evaristti's 'And Now You Care' exhibition involved a makeshift cage created with shopping carts containing the three piglets. He said the intention of the art installation was to raise awareness about the cruelties of modern pig production in Denmark. The Animal Protection Denmark welfare group says that sows are bred in the Danish pig industry to produce about 20 piglets at a time, but only have 14 teats, forcing the piglets to compete for breastmilk, leading to starvation of many. However, several animal rights groups expressed concern about Evaristti's exhibition, saying that while they welcomed initiatives to raise awareness they did not condone the abuse of animals. How have people reacted to the Danish pig exhibition? Steffensen said he could not allow the three animals to face a painful death after his 10-year-old daughter had begged him to 'make sure the piggies won't die.' 'So when I was approached by an activist to help free the animals, I let them into the gallery secretively on Saturday,' Steffensen told the AP. He said he wasn't initially planning to tell Evaristti about the removal of the pigs, but when the animal advocate group De Glemte Danske posted a statement online Tuesday saying it had rescued the piglets, the secret operation became public. Evaristti says he is already developing ways to revive the exhibition. ADVERTISEMENT One idea is to steal dead piglets from meat processing plants and present them to the public. He also wants to buy another three piglets - not to starve, but to auction to the highest bidder promising them a happy life. 'I got a lot of hate messages from around the world - I think people don't get that my art is about animals' rights,' Evaristti said.
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Yahoo
Piglets left to starve as part of a controversial art exhibition in Denmark have been stolen
Three piglets which were being allowed to starve as part of a controversial art exhibition in Denmark that had drawn international attention have been stolen, the artist said on Wednesday. Chilean-born Marco Evaristti said he had been aiming to raise awareness of the suffering caused by mass meat production with his art installation that opened last week in Copenhagen. The piglets were being denied food and water and would have been allowed to starve to death. But in an unexpected twist Evaristti has revealed that the piglets — dubbed Lucia, Simon and Benjamin — were taken by animal rights activists who were assisted by his friend, Caspar Steffensen. See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. 'I called up police on Saturday to report the piglets stolen and I had to shut down the entire exhibition because of that — so I was very disappointed when Caspar told me on Tuesday that he was involved in the theft,' said Evaristti, who claimed to have received hate mail. 'But then I thought about it for a few hours and realized that at least this way the piglets would have a happy life," he added. Copenhagen police confirmed Wednesday that it had received reports 'that the pigs had been stolen from the exhibition.' Evaristti's 'And Now You Care' exhibition involved a makeshift cage created with shopping carts containing the three piglets. He said the intention of the art installation was to raise awareness about the cruelties of modern pig production in Denmark. The Animal Protection Denmark welfare group says that sows are bred in the Danish pig industry to produce about 20 piglets at a time, but only have 14 teats, forcing the piglets to compete for breastmilk, leading to starvation of many. However, several animal rights groups expressed concern about Evaristti's exhibition, saying that while they welcomed initiatives to raise awareness they did not condone the abuse of animals. Steffensen said he could not allow the three animals to face a painful death after his 10-year-old daughter had begged him to 'make sure the piggies won't die.' 'So when I was approached by an activist to help free the animals, I let them into the gallery secretively on Saturday,' Steffensen told the AP. He said he wasn't initially planning to tell Evaristti about the removal of the pigs, but when the animal advocate group De Glemte Danske posted a statement online Tuesday saying it had rescued the piglets, the secret operation became public. Evaristti says he is already developing ways to revive the exhibition. One idea is to steal dead piglets from meat processing plants and present them to the public. He also wants to buy another three piglets — not to starve, but to auction to the highest bidder promising them a happy life. 'I got a lot of hate messages from around the world — I think people don't get that my art is about animals rights,' Evaristti said.
USA Today
06-03-2025
- USA Today
Protest art piece planned to starve 3 piglets to death. Then they escaped.
Protest art piece planned to starve 3 piglets to death. Then they escaped. Three piglets have vanished from a controversial Denmark art exhibit in which they were deprived of food and water as a form of protest of mass meat production. Since debuting last week, the Copenhagen art installation − titled "And Now You Care?" − has captured headlines after an artist caged three live piglets and let them starve. The decision was part of an effort to raise awareness of the cruelty caused by the nation's pork industry, according to the Washington Post and The New York Times. Chilean artist Marco Evaristti said the animals disappeared after a maintenance crew briefly exited the room to clean a toilet, the Times reported. He said that animal rights activists were around at the scene. "After four minutes, they come out and it was no pigs," Evaristti told the Times. Copenhagen police have not confirmed whether the disappearance was theft though Evaristti reported it as such, according to the Post. He later learned that one of his staff had sought the help of the Organization Against the Suffering of Animals to snatch the piglets. USA TODAY has reached out to Evaristti and Copenhagen police for comment. Evaristti defends exhibit amid death threats Evaristti has said he has experienced outrage and death threats against him and his family following his exhibit. "I receive serious threats, hate letters - so my son is threatened and pictured with a garden cross on his forehead," he wrote on Facebook. Yet he has not wavered from his mission of showing the world the cruelty that pigs face, adding that he initially believed those on his team shared that same vision, the Washington Post reported. "I wanted them to die," Evaristti told the Post. "I wanted the people in Denmark to see how a piglet starves to death." High demand for pigs has led to a rise in both pig breeding and piglet morality, the Post reported. Denmark produces around 28 million pigs annually, according to the data from the Danish Food and Agriculture Council. Animal rights group says disappearance was not burglary or theft Organization Against the Suffering of Animals said in a Monday statement that the disappearance was not burglary or theft but rather an "arranged transfer" between one of Evaristti's staff. The colleague contacted the non-profit Saturday morning to say the pigs could be picked up that day, according to the statement. "We quickly initiated a plan for the collection, which was completed as agreed. During the pickup, there was no burglary or theft, and Evaristti's colleague delivered subsequent pig feed to our driver," the group said, adding that they want to "emphasize that our purpose in this case has been to keep the animals safe." Evaristti has previously hosted other controversial art exhibits, including one where people could turn on a blender with a swimming goldfish inside and another where he made and served meatballs out of his own body fat with agnolotti pasta, People Magazine reported.
Sky News
06-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Sky News
Artist abandons plan to starve piglets to death after animals stolen
An artist who tried to starve three piglets to death as part of a controversial exhibition says he has changed his plan after the animals were stolen. Chilean-born Marco Evaristti said he had wanted to raise awareness of the suffering caused by mass meat production with his art installation that opened last week in Copenhagen, Denmark. The piglets were being denied food and water and would have been allowed to starve to death. But Mr Evaristti said the piglets - dubbed Lucia, Simon and Benjamin - were taken by animal rights activists who were assisted by his friend, Caspar Steffensen. "I called up police on Saturday to report the piglets stolen and I had to shut down the entire exhibition because of that - so I was very disappointed when Caspar told me on Tuesday that he was involved in the theft," said Mr Evaristti, who also claimed to have received hate mail. "But then I thought about it for a few hours and realised that at least this way the piglets would have a happy life." Copenhagen police said they had received reports "that the pigs had been stolen from the exhibition". Mr Evaristti's exhibition, And Now You Care, involved a makeshift cage created with shopping trolleys containing the three piglets. He said the intention was to raise awareness about the cruelties of modern pig production in Denmark. The Animal Protection Denmark welfare group says sows are bred in the Danish pig industry to produce about 20 piglets at a time - but with only 14 teats, piglets are forced to compete for milk and often starve. However, several animal rights groups voiced concern about Mr Evaristti's exhibition, saying while they welcomed initiatives to raise awareness, they did not condone animal abuse. Mr Steffensen said he could not allow the three animals to face a painful death after his 10-year-old daughter had begged him to "make sure the piggies won't die". "So when I was approached by an activist to help free the animals, I let them into the gallery secretively on Saturday," he said. However, Mr Evaristti said he will revive the exhibition and hopes to somehow get dead piglets from meat processing plants and present them to the public. "I'm in the process of acquiring animals that have died of starvation or other terrible circumstances in agriculture. I want to display them in a transparent refrigerator," he told Denmark's Ekstra Bladet. He said his aim was to fill the transparent refrigerator to bursting point with dead animals to show how animals in agriculture are squeezed into small cages. Having acquired the refrigerator, he said he now just needed the dead animals. "I'm willing to pay a high price," he added.
