Rocky Lewycky, American
Is it Necessary?, 2014
Groupings of white ceramic fish, turkeys, pigs, and cows sit atop small white boxes reading “Genocide: Is It Necessary?”. When smashed, the animals’ insides are bright red, simulating blood. As a statement on the brutality inherent in factory farming, Lewycky would daily enter the gallery, select a single animal from one of the groups, and smash it before exhibition visitors. Once broken, the lingering shards invoke a sense of unease and undercurrent of potential violence intended to stick with the viewer long after Lewycky departed. To encourage social action against factory farming, viewers could donate $50 to the Humane Farming Association and spare one of the ceramic animals. Label by Lia Deasy