A few days ago, we submitted a formal protest to the Fondation Beyeler (see below), but have not yet received any response.
We kindly urge you to send a message with a similar sentiment to the Fondation Beyeler, the Riehen municipal council, and the publication Artribune, which is currently praising Cattelan’s work. Below, you will find the letter in both English and Italian, along with the relevant contact information.
“Once again, we’re witnessing something distasteful being portrayed as art,” says Sonny Richichi of IHP. “Displaying lifeless, decapitated animal bodies is not only disturbing but deeply offensive to any civilized society. It trivializes both suffering and death, while disregarding basic human decency. Horses endure extreme distress at every step of the path to slaughter—cruel transport, followed by a brutal, often prolonged death. Presenting their remains in this fashion is far from clever artistic commentary; it comes off as crude and insensitive.
Online art courses
It’s even more troubling when such displays are classified as art. It’s hard to believe that culture has devolved to this point, taking such a regressive turn. For these reasons, we urge the public to speak out and call for an end to such displays—just as public pressure successfully led to the early closure of a similar exhibit featuring a suspended horse at the Zabriskie Point gallery in Geneva a few months ago.”