British graffiti artist Banksy has opened his first official exhibition in New York.
Set inside a fake pet shop, works such as a robotic monkey and fish-fingers swimming in a goldfish bowl aim to question the relationship between human beings and animals.
The Village Pet Store and Charcoal Grill was revealed to be the latest work by the street artist Banksy, complete with convincingly real "animatronic" creatures that moved around the store to beguile onlookers.
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.
The street artist from Bristol offered a written explanation for the installation. He said: "New Yorkers don't care about art, they care about pets. So I'm exhibiting them instead."
He added that there was a serious, philosophical aspect to the work, saying: "I wanted to make art that questioned our relationship with animals and the ethics and sustainability of factory farming but it ended up as chicken nuggets singing."
The exhibition is clearly visible day and night through the large shop frontage and has caused scenes of congestion and concern amongst local residents.
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."
(Abridged from the Independent)
See the animated exhibits at:
