PETA 2014
PETA London, UK, 2014
Like most artists, I’m interested in exploring what society hides from itself. As a human, I’m concerned with injustice, but like most people I feel powerless to do anything about the downward spiral our planet seems to be taking. With my street interventions though, sometimes I actually get the opportunity to directly address this frustration, to provoke a dialogue about issues that matter to me.
It wasn’t until the anti-whistleblower ag-gag laws began passing in the United States that my attention was drawn to America’s animal agriculture industry. Further exploration revealed unbelievable depths of abuse — perpetrated not only against farm animals, but also the environment. Climate change, deforestation, wildlife extinction, water waste, air pollution and ocean dead zones (among other things) are all directly attributable to meat, dairy and egg production. It’s truly unconscionable what these corporations get away with, day in and day out with seeming impunity.
This is why when PETA UK invited me to partner with them on the Empty the Cages project, to raise awareness surrounding animals raised for food and their dire plight, I didn’t hesitate to say yes. If encountering my pieces brings this topic to anyone’s attention, then art matters, because life matters, and I’m satisfied.
