Banksy becomes a pet shop boy in New York
Pet shop boy
Pics:Banksy's pet shop
Banksy has ditched the spray cans and opted for animatronics in his latest show – the first he has held in New York.
Yesterday the Village Pet Store and Charcoal Grill opened for business complete with a leopard, monkey and fish fingers in bowls.
The pet shop is open for business every day until midnight October 31 and although people cannot buy its contents, they can walk in and view the "exhibition".
Street artist Banksy said: "New Yorkers don't care about art, they care about pets. So I'm exhibiting them instead."
Artworks inside include two fish fingers floating in a fish bowl, robotic rabbits wearing pearl necklaces, a couple of chicken nuggets which appear to be sipping ketchup, hot dogs writhing underneath heat lamps and a CCTV camera nurturing its young.
And yes, the leopard and monkey are convincingly real despite being animatronics.
The shop took him four weeks to refit and until the New York Times revealed it as an art installation, it had attracted curious customers. It opened with no fanfare and without the parties and drinks that tend to go with the unveiling of a new exhibition.
Not everyone is happy with a piece of British art on their doorstep however. The store has caused scenes of congestion as people stop or slow down to have a look and some residents are concerned about some of the exhibits – especially of two hot dogs having sex.
Banksy said: "There have been complaints from people who are unhappy about being on their way to work and seeing two hot dogs performing a sex act. But it's no more unnatural than the process behind making a sausage in the first place."
Pics:Banksy's pet shop
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