This past summer (2017), artist, Pierre Huyghe, cut up the concrete floor of a disused and decaying ice rink. It was part of an artistic installation he named, After ALife Ahead, for the Skuptur Projekte in Münster, Germany.  In keeping with his philosophy (“What interests me is intensifying a presence, giving it its own presentation, its own appearance and its own life, rather than subjecting it to pre-established models”), he transformed the abandoned rink into a living and breathing “canvas” quietly teeming with life that included bees and peacocks.

It wasn’t the first time Huyghe recruited “fauna” to be portrayed as art. In 2014, Huyghe’s five year old Ibizan Hound, “Human,” became “living art” (which NPDD thinks all dog breeds are, as a matter of fact) when she “collaborated” with her owner on his retrospective show at the Resnick Pavilion in Los Angeles. Her role was to roam through the museum and galleries and be admired for her inherent beauty. After Human had been examined by a veterinarian, the Los Angeles Department of Animal Services,  and SPCA Los Angeles, and found to be in excellent health, a permit was obtained allowing her inclusion in the exhibition. Museum visitors were instructed to refrain from touching, petting, or otherwise disturbing her, and a human (ha, a pun) handler was always present to make sure all her needs were met. Human came and went with her handler as she pleased (she was never required to be in the gallery at any particular time), and she had a private room to get away from it all, if she pleased.

Human was well acquainted with galleries, having “worked” with Pierre Huyghe since she was taken in from a shelter three years before.  We’ve not been able to determine why one of her leg is dyed pink (safely, we did learn), and assume it’s an “art thing.” One must admit that it was striking, if not thought provoking. In a review written by Drew Tewksbury for KCET, he wrote of Human: “She seems to float through the gallery, completely silent, occasionally stopping to size-up visitors, perform the quite literal downward dog yoga pose, or curl up for a nap on fur-like mounds scattered around the exhibition. Whenever Human enters a room, she becomes the center of attention, her delicate motions provide a balletic poise, before she floats away to her next destination, skulking around like the ubiquitous gallery dogs or cats often found in commercial art spaces.” 

Image found on Pinterest and happily credited upon receipt of information