Bizarre Pet Store Opens in New York
by Kimberley D. Mok, Montreal, Canada on 10.27.08
NOTCOT: Banksy's Village Petstore & Charcoal Grill from Jean Aw on Vimeo.
Spraying out politically-savvy and eye-catching graffiti art at its best, British artist Banksy has now quietly opened up a new exhibition – disguised as a pet store – at 89 Seventh Avenue South (near Bleecker Street) in Greenwich Village.
Banksy’s “Village Pet Store and Charcoal Grill” is his first exhibition in New York and his first foray into the amazingly life-like realm of animatronics. But it’s more than that, as you can see from Seth Brau’s high-defintion video commissioned by NOTCOT: little chicken baby nuggets dipping themselves in barbecue sauce? Swimming fish sticks? Squirming bologna? There’s a subtle twist here that is both artful and provocative – it’s an imaginatively wry comment on “our relationship with animals and the ethics and sustainability of factory farming.”
The show runs until October 31.
Village Pet Store and Charcoal Grill via NOTCOT
Eee, this creeped me out just a little. :( I want to be a vegetarian so bad but I've never been able to, its been an off and on adventure with so many health problems in the mix.
But kudos to anybody that can do it! You're awesome people!
This was pretty wacky, but the fact is if this were not in New York City, people would think it was dumb. Just because it's in New York somehow it's elevated to the status of masterpiece...
Sorry, Roppkie, but I disagree. I just think NY is a high profile place where this artist will get a lot of attention. This show would be well received in a lot of places, I think.
Being a veggie is not hard at all!!!! If you cannot have compassion for the lowest of animals(like the ones we eat) than you cannot have real compassion for the highest animals(humans). Simple as that. Think before you eat, or do anything.
It looks like Banksy might do for vegetarianism what he did for grafitti.
Great, thought provoking art.
What were those things that sort of looked like tongues with the jar of skewers? EWWWWW!