{"id":4708,"date":"2025-09-23T14:00:29","date_gmt":"2025-09-23T14:00:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/symbol-quorum.com\/?p=4708"},"modified":"2025-09-23T14:07:08","modified_gmt":"2025-09-23T14:07:08","slug":"pigs-love-ice-cream","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/symbol-quorum.com\/en\/pigs-love-ice-cream\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cPigs Love Ice Cream!\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Written by: Darko Vlahovi\u0107 
Photos: Vojtech Veskrna & Studio Wim Delvoye<\/pre>\n\n\n\n
…<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The aim of art is not to portray the outward appearance of things, but their inner meaning. This famous thought by Aristotle perfectly describes the oeuvre of Wim Delvoye (Wervik, 1965), a Belgian artist whose works are simultaneously provocative, witty, and technically flawless.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
His art brings together opposites \u2013 high aesthetics and industrial processes, Gothic poetics and digital precision, biology and technology. From tattooed live pigs to the iconic Cloaca, a machine that replicates human digestion, Delvoye never stops pushing the boundaries of art and ethics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In this interview, we discover what inspires him, how he sees the future of art, and why he has always been drawn to the fusion of tradition and innovation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You grew up in Wervik, a small Belgian town right on the border with France. What steered you toward art?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
The fact that I wasn\u2019t particularly good at math and the exact sciences influenced my choice of studies\u2014I was looking for a field that didn\u2019t require them. That was probably one of the key reasons I leaned toward art. But later, it turned out to be a point of no return.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I belonged to a generation in which compulsory military service was still in place. One way to avoid the draft was to simulate mental instability. Which I did. However, that came with serious consequences. When you\u2019d later look for a job, employers would ask if you served in the military. If you answered \u201cno,\u201d the next question would be, \u201cwhy not?\u201d And the answer \u201cbecause I was declared mentally unfit\u201d meant you weren\u2019t getting the job. So, by the age of 20 or 21, it was already clear to me that I didn\u2019t have many options\u2014I had to find a way outside those limitations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Today, with compulsory military service no longer in effect, that situation seems distant, but in my time, it was crucial. I think about it often because I hear more and more proposals to reintroduce the draft, which brings me back to the period when I first realized how unjust that system was. You study hard, graduate, and then you\u2019re forced to spend a year in the army, often doing meaningless tasks, while your female classmates are spared. I thought the law was sexist\u2014men had to serve, women didn\u2019t. If you claimed conscientious objection, the punishment was even greater: instead of one, you had to spend two years working in a library or another state institution. In other words, you were punished for having a conscience and refusing to carry weapons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I wanted to avoid both math and the military\u2014those were the two key reasons I ended up in art school. In the end, in a way, I didn\u2019t consciously choose art\u2014I was forced down that path.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Can you tell us a bit about your student days at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Ghent and how they shaped your artistic journey?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
At the Royal Academy, I enrolled in painting with simple expectations\u2014I just wanted to learn how to paint. What was also key was that I had incredibly relaxed parents who always supported me. Sometimes, when I\u2019d get pragmatic and start thinking that maybe art wasn\u2019t the safest future, they would encourage me and bring me back to it. They\u2019d say, \u201cBut you love studying this!\u201d I\u2019d reply, \u201cYes, but I could study something boring, think about a stable future.\u201d But they always insisted, \u201cNo, no, something boring would make you unhappy.\u201d Thanks to them, I had the freedom to choose what genuinely interested me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
During my studies, I realized how important their support had been. Many of my classmates had to make compromises because their parents would say, \u201cAt least study photography, maybe that\u2019ll help you get a job.\u201d In retrospect, that sounds ironic: many of them are unemployed today, because for the past 20 years, everyone has carried a camera in their pocket via their phone. Photography, at least as a classical profession, has no future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The parents of those classmates of mine tried to be smart, but the future is impossible to predict in all its details\u2014especially when it comes to a child\u2019s life path. My parents didn\u2019t know what awaited me either, but they took a big risk by encouraging me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
So, you began studying painting\u2014how did you end up in conceptual art?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
I started studying painting with a classical approach, but I quickly became interested in three-dimensional objects. I began painting on everyday items, exploring space and the third dimension. During my studies, I became more and more drawn to experimenting with the medium and expanding the boundaries of painting. Painting is, by the way, a very \u201cgrateful\u201d discipline\u2014it\u2019s not too expensive, you don\u2019t need much space, and the market for paintings is far larger than that for conceptual art. It would have been great if I had stayed a classical painter, but I was always interested in something more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Slowly, I became consumed by working in three dimensions, until, after many years, I realized I was actually a sculptor. I\u2019m very serious and critical when it comes to my ideas. When I come up with one, I don\u2019t realize it right away\u2014I store it like wine aging in a cellar, letting it improve over time. Ideas also need time to mature. I always expect a lot from painting, but it\u2019s not easy to reach the level I aim for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I admire the old masters\u2014the way they painted eyes, hands, that level of skill fascinates me. But if I were to compete with the past, with the old masters, it would paralyze me and stop me from doing what I want. That\u2019s why I don\u2019t limit myself to one technique or one medium\u2014every technique is valuable, every craft has its own power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Still, never say never\u2014who knows where art will take me next…<\/p>\n\n\n\n
How do you choose themes for your projects? Is there an intuitive or research-based process behind it? Would you say your artistic process is more spontaneous or a long-term, thought-out experiment?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
I always look for some kind of social dimension. When I get an idea, I test it on the people around me, observe their reactions, remember them, and try to understand why each person responded a certain way. But I always stay open to new ideas. Some of my colleagues get stuck in their own artistic dead ends because they cling to their creeds more than they search for new ideas. Over time, their ideas become dogma, and they stay trapped in their own niche. This especially applies to artists who were active before my time\u2014say, the generation from the 1960s. Many of them created something recognizable and remained loyal to it their entire lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A great example of that is On Kawara\u2014the more he created, the better he became, but he kept doing the same thing for the rest of his life. That was a generation where an idea turned into commitment, and commitment became a credo. That kind of approach was also marketable\u2014this kind of art was instantly recognizable. You could say from afar, \u201cThat\u2019s On Kawara!\u201d and immediately sound like a connoisseur of contemporary art. Those artists never disappointed; they always made the same things, almost like machines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Another example of that approach is Roman Opa\u0142ka. He spent his whole life painting numbers and self-portraits as he aged. But my generation started playing with that concept and commenting on it. We asked ourselves\u2014why would someone commit to the same thing their entire career? That\u2019s boring. Why stop being creative? Sure, doing the same thing every day can be great, but at the same time, it\u2019s incredibly monotonous\u2014as if you\u2019re an artist working a 9-to-5 job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My generation didn\u2019t commit to anything: we tried to stay creative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"\"
Fuck 2
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
KIiss 1
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Which artists or movements have had the greatest influence on your work, and in what way?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
It could be anyone. If you\u2019re not committed to one aesthetic, your influences can change every week. But if you\u2019re, for example, a lifelong Cubist, you\u2019ll probably say C\u00e9zanne had the biggest impact on you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I don\u2019t have one specific person who constantly inspires me. I usually look at artists who might give some kind of legitimacy to what I\u2019m doing. Let me explain\u2014maybe I come up with an idea that resembles something someone in the past already did. In that case, that artist lends legitimacy to what I\u2019m doing, because without those lines of ancestry, art often can\u2019t exist. Experimental art relies heavily on history, on artistic predecessors, on referencing earlier artists. For example, today\u2019s artists working with ready-mades automatically reference Duchamp and have to define their position in relation to him and the long line of their predecessors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With me, it\u2019s not that straightforward\u2014every one of my works draws inspiration from a different person. Among dead artists, I really like Piero Manzoni, the Italian artist from the 1950s and \u201960s. He\u2019s far enough in the past to give legitimacy to what I\u2019m doing, but he can still inspire me. But I also like looking at works by artists like Picasso\u2014not because they have a direct influence on me, but because they fascinate me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Every month I\u2019m obsessed with a new artist. Recently, for example, I was fixated on Augustus Pugin, a 19th-century architect who designed Big Ben. Two months ago, I found him incredibly interesting, and then I moved on to something else. Now it\u2019s someone new again\u2014it might even be, for example, Hitchcock. In fact, inspiration doesn\u2019t have to come from an artist at all. It could just as easily be a filmmaker or someone I previously had no interest in, but suddenly I discover something in them that inspires me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Anything that happens in the world can be a source of inspiration\u2014something from popular media, pop culture, or even something that doesn\u2019t seem like art at first glance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
How do you define the boundary between provocation and art, especially when your works evoke strong reactions from the audience? Are you even interested in how the audience reacts? Is provocation a goal or a byproduct of your artistic expression?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Today, we\u2019re surrounded by millions of images\u2014we\u2019re swimming in an ocean of visual information. When I was a young artist, my camera had film with only 36 frames. Every photo had to be thought through because I had to carefully choose what was worth capturing. Today, that only really applies to tattoos\u2014the body is a limited canvas, every line is painful, so people think a hundred times before tattooing something permanently. Yet ironically, they still often choose something meaningless. (laughs)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Art, like tattoos, tries to resist impermanence. Artists hope their work will outlive them. But in a world oversaturated with images, the audience has become immune to visual stimuli. We\u2019re exposed to thousands of new images every second\u2014how can we even stop and really look at anything anymore? That\u2019s why an artist must be extremely clever to grab attention, regardless of the medium. They have to be like a virus that breaks through filters and stays in the viewer\u2019s eye and mind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sometimes, that means shocking people\u2014but not for the sake of provocation, rather to break through the visual chaos. But what is truly shocking nowadays? When you place a provocative artwork in a museum, people react immediately\u2014but it\u2019s nothing compared to what we see daily: scenes from Gaza, Yemen, natural disasters, hurricanes, wars. In that context, art can hardly be genuinely shocking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We live in an era where art competes not only with the great masters of the past, but also with social media, TikTok, Instagram\u2014an overwhelming flood of images that engulfs us every day. I\u2019m part of a generation that struggles not just with tradition, but with the digital age and its endless visual bombardment. I\u2019m grateful to be able to create in a time that allows it. In another historical period, I\u2019d probably have been burned at the stake for my art.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
What inspired you to create Cloaca, the machine that replicates human digestion? It\u2019s probably your most well-known work. What kind of audience reaction did you expect?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
I was surprised by the reactions. You think you\u2019re clever, that you can predict everything\u2014but you can\u2019t. Everyone is shaped by a certain culture, and that always becomes apparent. In Belgium, some people\u2014predictably\u2014claimed it wasn\u2019t art. But to my surprise, most accepted the installation. I had expected more criticism. In New York, it was a big success, but there, people were concerned about bacteria\u2014something that never even crossed anyone\u2019s mind in Belgium. I guess Belgians are less sensitive to that kind of thing? (laughs)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In Germany, the focus was on ethics\u2014I heard comments like: \u201cThis artist is wasting food while children are dying of hunger.\u201d But art always consumes resources, whether it\u2019s paint, marble, or bronze. That moral concern struck me as very Protestant. In Protestant culture, wasting food is considered a sin. I didn\u2019t expect that kind of reaction\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In Austria, the story was completely different\u2014they immediately started talking about Freud, psychoanalysis, childhood, mothers, and feces. I liked that, but I couldn\u2019t have predicted such a psychoanalytical enthusiasm in response to the installation. That piece really showed me how each country has its own personality and interprets the same art in completely different ways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Your practice of tattooing live pigs sparked controversy. How do you respond to criticisms about the ethics of that project? Did it also provoke different reactions in different countries?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
The reactions varied depending on the time period. In the 1990s, animal rights weren\u2019t a serious topic, so tattooing pigs didn\u2019t cause much controversy. But much later, in the Netherlands, I had to defend myself\u2014I even showed video footage to prove that the animals weren\u2019t suffering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s not about geography\u2014it\u2019s about time. In the past eight or nine years, the mentality has changed. Young people have become less tolerant, and social media has triggered a wave of moral condemnation. Online, it\u2019s easy to be intolerant. You can call yourself Mickey Mouse and attack whoever you want, without consequences. When I saw how many people were against me, I even began to question myself\u2026 But the truth is, I\u2019ve been a vegetarian my whole life. I love animals, nature, trees… Those pigs had an exceptionally good life. Some of them grew to 300 kilos, which is extremely rare\u2014there aren\u2019t even 20 pigs like that in the world. Each one had two hours of tattooing per week, under veterinary supervision, under anesthesia. Afterwards, they\u2019d get a massage, skincare treatment, and as a reward\u2014ice cream.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So pigs eat ice cream?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
They love ice cream!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Your \u201cGothic\u201d series of X-rays of explicit scenes raised many questions about privacy and voyeurism. What was your intention with that work?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
All three of the projects you mentioned\u2014Cloaca, the tattooed pigs, and the X-ray images\u2014were created during the same period, a time when I was asking questions about human identity, the body, genetics, and evolution. This was shortly after the cloning of Dolly the sheep, which deeply fascinated me. I began studying Darwin, genetics, DNA. Among these projects, the pigs later became the most controversial due to animal rights concerns. Cloaca was different\u2014it didn\u2019t harm anyone. Everyone defecates\u2014it\u2019s universal and democratic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The X-ray images had a similar effect\u2014they erase differences between people. I remember one woman who didn\u2019t consider herself beautiful, but when we scanned her body, the radiologist told her: \u201cYou have a perfect collarbone, I\u2019ve never seen such symmetry.\u201d That compliment surprised her, because we don\u2019t usually associate beauty with bones, and yet, the beauty was there. Like Cloaca, that project questioned what it means to be human. Do we have to reproduce to be considered human? Do we need to redefine our ideals of beauty and identity? In Florence, you can see Michelangelo\u2019s David, but he no longer represents the modern human being. If we were to choose an image to send into space today to show who we are, it wouldn\u2019t be David. He doesn\u2019t represent human diversity\u2014he represents a white man with a small penis. (laughs)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s why, through these projects\u2014Cloaca, the X-rays, the deconstruction of the body and identity\u2014I wanted to create new portraits of humanity. Not classical representations of people, but portraits of post-humanity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You\u2019ve spoken about your generation of artists, who had to reshape prevailing paradigms. How do you see today\u2019s generation? What should young conceptual artists be doing now? What are they doing?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
New things are being created every day, but they no longer share the same universe, the same space with us. I belong to the world of the artwork\u2014a space where we, the older ones, pat each other on the back and tell ourselves there aren\u2019t many creative young people today. But they do exist\u2014only, they don\u2019t live in our world. Their world is TikTok, YouTube, and other social media platforms, where there\u2019s a real explosion of new ideas. They may not call themselves artists, but influencers, content creators, or something else\u2014but they\u2019re using a new language and creating in a different medium.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I would by no means say they\u2019re less creative. On the contrary, they might be more creative than ever before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
How has technology, like artificial intelligence or 3D printing, changed your artistic process? Do you think museums and galleries will always be the best places to present art, or will art move into the digital world as well?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
I don\u2019t know. I\u2019m happy doing what I do, but I see how much the world has changed. Fifteen years ago, I bought an old castle with a large piece of land, wanting to create a sculpture park there. But I quickly realized how impossible that was. The authorities buried me in bureaucracy\u2014building permits, zoning plans, cultural heritage regulations. People would come and tell me, \u201cYou can\u2019t use that plaster, you have to use this other one.\u201d And I wasn\u2019t trying to build a cathedral\u2014just a small sculpture garden! After years of struggle, I simply gave up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s why I\u2019m now fascinated by the metaverse\u2014a space without bureaucracy, without material constraints, where you can build anything instantly. But I\u2019m still waiting. Being the first in something is always expensive\u2014and often pointless. The first inventor of the car might have invented the vehicle, but there still weren\u2019t good roads. It\u2019s the same with today\u2019s metaverses\u2014there are many of them, but none are quite good enough yet. Everything looks artificial, lacking real detail. It seems like they\u2019re full of visitors, but most are just inactive accounts that haven\u2019t been turned off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On the other hand, artificial intelligence has already changed the way I work. A job that used to take me two years, I can now finish in a month. But that raises an important question: if something becomes too easy, does it still have value? The first wave of artists who used new technologies often created bad art. Technology doesn\u2019t become obsolete\u2014it matures. The question is how it will evolve. These days, when I\u2019m working on new sculptures, I ask my team: \u201cCan AI do this?\u201d If they say no\u2014it makes me happy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Maybe I have five or ten more years of work ahead of me. Cloaca was an experience: it smelled, it ate, it groaned\u2014it was a machine that offered an almost religious experience. That\u2019s something AI can\u2019t replicate. If I were a photographer, maybe I\u2019d be worried, maybe I wouldn\u2019t sleep at all. (laughs)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Which of your projects is your favorite?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s hard to say because I, too, am influenced by the times, by the spirit of the age\u2014the Zeitgeist. Two years ago, I was almost ashamed of the tattooed pigs. I wondered whether I should even keep them on my website or whether it would be better if everyone just forgot about them. But then I realized\u2014tattooing is just an ancient technology, maybe even older than ceramics. After all, it was a biotech project, a vision of the future in which biotechnology would bring cancer treatments and eliminate disease. But I couldn\u2019t predict the pandemic. Instead of a biotechnological revolution, we got COVID. Instead of progress, we returned to traditional wars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Everything depends on the spirit of the times, and I try to adapt. Maybe in five years I\u2019ll tell you something completely different. The only constant is Cloaca, but even that isn\u2019t welcome in galleries these days. Gallerists don\u2019t like it because they can\u2019t sell it. They prefer my small bronze sculptures. People like them, people buy them. Art is never just personal\u2014it\u2019s also social. It depends on context, on the public and public opinion, on that same Zeitgeist. Everything is always changing, so maybe next week I\u2019ll have a new favorite…<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Is there an idea you had that was too radical to realize\u2014too radical even for you?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Oh, yes! In the late \u201990s, I collaborated in Ghent with a crazy curator, Jan Hoet. Okay, he wasn\u2019t exactly crazy, but he was incredibly passionate and colorful. At that time, he was organizing the Sonsbeek exhibition\u2014something like a lesser-known version of Documenta in Germany. My plan for the exhibition was to find a dog with a flat forehead and ask a plastic surgeon to reshape its face to look like mine. I called the project Laika, after the first dog in space\u2014I wanted to create a new historical Laika. I thought the idea was brilliant. By the way, I often test curators by pitching radical projects. If there\u2019s a project I don\u2019t really want to do, instead of saying a direct \u201cno,\u201d I\u2019ll propose something absurd\u2014and when they reject it, the problem is solved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But when I presented the idea to Jan Hoet, instead of rejecting it, he said: \u201cWhy not?\u201d He even offered to connect me with a top plastic surgeon and said he would cover the costs himself. Times were different back then. Today, a curator would probably stop returning your calls\u2014or call the police. (laughs)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But Hoet was thrilled. When I got home, I started testing reactions. I asked colleagues, critics, friends, family, neighbours. The reactions were overwhelmingly negative. People were horrified: \u201cAre you insane? That\u2019s not funny! Why would you even do that?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
People love dogs. We can ask why that dog would be more valuable than a pig or a worm, but the fact is, dogs occupy a special place in human hearts. I realized that even though the idea was provocative, it wasn\u2019t something I truly wanted to carry out. I do have a conscience, after all. (laughs) I called Hoet and told him I was backing out. He was disappointed. He even had a Marxist reading of the whole project: the dog becomes the artist, the bourgeoisie likes to keep a little dog in their lap, the artist as a lapdog of the rich. I was proud of the idea\u2014but I knew I never wanted to make it real.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
How do you prefer to spend your free time? What do you do when you\u2019re not making art?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s hard for me to answer that because everything in my life is closely tied to art. My attention span can be extremely wide and long-lasting\u2014I\u2019m interested in both modern and ancient art, archaeology, antiques. Compared to some of my peers who are completely focused only on their own field, I\u2019m not so bad. (laughs) I used to be a passionate film lover, but that obsession faded. Art has always been my primary interest. Since a very young age, I\u2019ve never done anything else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Many artists have stories about working in restaurants, teaching, or doing all sorts of jobs before they became artists. Not me. I\u2019ve never been anything but an artist, and honestly, I don\u2019t even know if I could do anything else. Even if I tried, I doubt I could stay focused on it for long.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
How does an artist like you define success? Is it market value, social impact, or something else? How would you like to be remembered in the art world?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
That matters much less to me now than it did before. When you\u2019re in your twenties, you\u2019re obsessed with how you\u2019ll be remembered. You read the Iliad and see its heroes willing to risk their lives just to leave a mark on history\u2014probably because they were twenty-something too. But over time, that concern fades. I think it has to do with freedom\u2014if you worry too much about your legacy, you lose spontaneity. Carrying that burden means you can no longer play, explore, or do things just for the joy of it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When I was younger, there were always expectations. People would stop me on the street, ask for autographs, give me advice about my path. That stifles spontaneity. Today, I no longer need others\u2019 approval\u2014or at least not nearly as much as I used to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As you get older, you either become a misanthrope or simply more self-assured. I think for me, it\u2019s the latter\u2014I\u2019m not as insecure anymore.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
From tattooed live pigs to the iconic Cloaca, a machine that replicates human digestion, Belgian artist Wim Delvoye never stops pushing the boundaries of art and ethics<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4694,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[37],"class_list":["post-4708","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-culture-art","tag-published"],"yoast_head":"\n\u201cPigs Love Ice Cream!\u201d - Symbol<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/symbol-quorum.com\/en\/pigs-love-ice-cream\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"\u201cPigs Love Ice Cream!\u201d - Symbol\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"From tattooed live pigs to the iconic Cloaca, a machine that replicates human digestion, Belgian artist Wim Delvoye never stops pushing the boundaries of art and ethics\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/symbol-quorum.com\/en\/pigs-love-ice-cream\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Symbol\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-09-23T14:00:29+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-09-23T14:07:08+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/symbol-quorum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/DSCF0033.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"960\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Sonja Stanicic\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Sonja Stanicic\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"25 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/symbol-quorum.com\/en\/pigs-love-ice-cream\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/symbol-quorum.com\/en\/pigs-love-ice-cream\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Sonja Stanicic\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/symbol-quorum.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/532558e52dcfcafbf63a5c5c122e6e1e\"},\"headline\":\"\u201cPigs Love Ice Cream!\u201d\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-09-23T14:00:29+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-09-23T14:07:08+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/symbol-quorum.com\/en\/pigs-love-ice-cream\/\"},\"wordCount\":4337,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/symbol-quorum.com\/en\/#organization\"},\"keywords\":[\"Published\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Culture & Art\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/symbol-quorum.com\/en\/pigs-love-ice-cream\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/symbol-quorum.com\/en\/pigs-love-ice-cream\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/symbol-quorum.com\/en\/pigs-love-ice-cream\/\",\"name\":\"\u201cPigs Love Ice Cream!\u201d - Symbol\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/symbol-quorum.com\/en\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2025-09-23T14:00:29+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-09-23T14:07:08+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/symbol-quorum.com\/en\/pigs-love-ice-cream\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/symbol-quorum.com\/en\/pigs-love-ice-cream\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/symbol-quorum.com\/en\/pigs-love-ice-cream\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Po\u010detna stranica\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/symbol-quorum.com\/en\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"\u201cPigs Love Ice Cream!\u201d\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/symbol-quorum.com\/en\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/symbol-quorum.com\/en\/\",\"name\":\"Symbol\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/symbol-quorum.com\/en\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/symbol-quorum.com\/en\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/symbol-quorum.com\/en\/#organization\",\"name\":\"SYMBOL QUORUM d.o.o.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/symbol-quorum.com\/en\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/symbol-quorum.com\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/symbol-quorum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/symbol-logo.svg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/symbol-quorum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/symbol-logo.svg\",\"width\":600,\"height\":200,\"caption\":\"SYMBOL QUORUM d.o.o.\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/symbol-quorum.com\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/symbol-quorum.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/532558e52dcfcafbf63a5c5c122e6e1e\",\"name\":\"Sonja Stanicic\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/symbol-quorum.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/bc2c3677127557d9d5e94f6874caa4ce?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/bc2c3677127557d9d5e94f6874caa4ce?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Sonja Stanicic\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/symbol-quorum.com\/en\/author\/sonja-stanicic\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"\u201cPigs Love Ice Cream!\u201d - Symbol","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/symbol-quorum.com\/en\/pigs-love-ice-cream\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"\u201cPigs Love Ice Cream!\u201d - Symbol","og_description":"From tattooed live pigs to the iconic Cloaca, a machine that replicates human digestion, Belgian artist Wim Delvoye never stops pushing the boundaries of art and ethics","og_url":"https:\/\/symbol-quorum.com\/en\/pigs-love-ice-cream\/","og_site_name":"Symbol","article_published_time":"2025-09-23T14:00:29+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-09-23T14:07:08+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1280,"height":960,"url":"https:\/\/symbol-quorum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/DSCF0033.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Sonja Stanicic","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Sonja Stanicic","Est. reading time":"25 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/symbol-quorum.com\/en\/pigs-love-ice-cream\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/symbol-quorum.com\/en\/pigs-love-ice-cream\/"},"author":{"name":"Sonja Stanicic","@id":"https:\/\/symbol-quorum.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/532558e52dcfcafbf63a5c5c122e6e1e"},"headline":"\u201cPigs Love Ice Cream!\u201d","datePublished":"2025-09-23T14:00:29+00:00","dateModified":"2025-09-23T14:07:08+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/symbol-quorum.com\/en\/pigs-love-ice-cream\/"},"wordCount":4337,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/symbol-quorum.com\/en\/#organization"},"keywords":["Published"],"articleSection":["Culture & Art"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/symbol-quorum.com\/en\/pigs-love-ice-cream\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/symbol-quorum.com\/en\/pigs-love-ice-cream\/","url":"https:\/\/symbol-quorum.com\/en\/pigs-love-ice-cream\/","name":"\u201cPigs Love Ice Cream!\u201d - Symbol","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/symbol-quorum.com\/en\/#website"},"datePublished":"2025-09-23T14:00:29+00:00","dateModified":"2025-09-23T14:07:08+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/symbol-quorum.com\/en\/pigs-love-ice-cream\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/symbol-quorum.com\/en\/pigs-love-ice-cream\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/symbol-quorum.com\/en\/pigs-love-ice-cream\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Po\u010detna stranica","item":"https:\/\/symbol-quorum.com\/en\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"\u201cPigs Love Ice Cream!\u201d"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/symbol-quorum.com\/en\/#website","url":"https:\/\/symbol-quorum.com\/en\/","name":"Symbol","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/symbol-quorum.com\/en\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/symbol-quorum.com\/en\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/symbol-quorum.com\/en\/#organization","name":"SYMBOL QUORUM d.o.o.","url":"https:\/\/symbol-quorum.com\/en\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/symbol-quorum.com\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/symbol-quorum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/symbol-logo.svg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/symbol-quorum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/symbol-logo.svg","width":600,"height":200,"caption":"SYMBOL QUORUM d.o.o."},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/symbol-quorum.com\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/symbol-quorum.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/532558e52dcfcafbf63a5c5c122e6e1e","name":"Sonja Stanicic","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/symbol-quorum.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/bc2c3677127557d9d5e94f6874caa4ce?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/bc2c3677127557d9d5e94f6874caa4ce?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Sonja Stanicic"},"url":"https:\/\/symbol-quorum.com\/en\/author\/sonja-stanicic\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/symbol-quorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4708","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/symbol-quorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/symbol-quorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/symbol-quorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/symbol-quorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4708"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/symbol-quorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4708\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4709,"href":"https:\/\/symbol-quorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4708\/revisions\/4709"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/symbol-quorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4694"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/symbol-quorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4708"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/symbol-quorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4708"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/symbol-quorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4708"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}