Pigs
'Family Ties'
Family Ties
- Original 280mm x 500mm.
Original Available: Yes
- Original 280mm x 500mm.
Original Available: Yes
This painting celebrates the remarkable intelligence, distinct personalities, and deep social bonds of pigs. Like all animals, pigs are highly sentient beings capable of feeling complex emotions and forming meaningful relationships with one another and with humans. In their natural state, they thrive in rich, forested environments, using their exceptionally sensitive snouts to root through leaf litter, explore, and forage. They are globally recognized as being among the most intelligent of all mammals.
However, the industrial reality in New Zealand tells a different story. In the lead-up to and aftermath of giving birth, roughly 16,000 breeding sows are confined to farrowing crates—metal cages barely larger than their own bodies. This restrictive environment completely prevents mother pigs from executing their most basic maternal instincts, such as building nests, interacting socially, and caring properly for their piglets.
Although a landmark 2020 High Court challenge by animal welfare advocates successfully ruled these cages unlawful under the Animal Welfare Act, political progress has stalled. In December 2025, the Government passed new legislation that effectively bypassed the court ruling, extending the legal use of farrowing crates until late 2035.
Proceeds from the sale of this painting will be donated to SAFE (Save Animals From Exploitation), New Zealand's leading animal advocacy charity, supporting their ongoing mission to secure fundamental rights and protections for all animals.
However, the industrial reality in New Zealand tells a different story. In the lead-up to and aftermath of giving birth, roughly 16,000 breeding sows are confined to farrowing crates—metal cages barely larger than their own bodies. This restrictive environment completely prevents mother pigs from executing their most basic maternal instincts, such as building nests, interacting socially, and caring properly for their piglets.
Although a landmark 2020 High Court challenge by animal welfare advocates successfully ruled these cages unlawful under the Animal Welfare Act, political progress has stalled. In December 2025, the Government passed new legislation that effectively bypassed the court ruling, extending the legal use of farrowing crates until late 2035.
Proceeds from the sale of this painting will be donated to SAFE (Save Animals From Exploitation), New Zealand's leading animal advocacy charity, supporting their ongoing mission to secure fundamental rights and protections for all animals.