A Mother's Love in Times of Cognitive Dissonance

“In the midst of a technological and urban revolution, animalism took over our cities. First discreetly, then guerrilla-style, and now as a declared open war. This animalism took over the political discourse and specifically the space of civil laws, reaching its apex when animals started to be considered “…living beings endowed with sensitivity and legal protections by virtue of their nature”.

Despite the animal world’s apparent victory, this victory is not for all. Equality granted by the republic still only applies to humans. The new law is clearly aimed at pets. The others will have to keep surviving as they can, in this way of being so “homo sapiens” that is hypocrisy. There are more subtle ways to name the issue. Some call it “the paradox of the flesh”, others explain the phenomenon with the concept of cognitive dissonance.

The death of a turkey, as a commercial object, is often very similar to the one of a chicken. It is hung upside down on a rail, paralyzed by passing through electrified water and then mechanically beheaded. This animal was brought from Mexico to Europe and made to be a fashionable feature of our tables in the 16th century. Were it not for this annual Christmas sacrifice, turkeys could live up to ten years in age. Nowadays, the vast majority of these birds are killed at the age of just two months, accumulating so much weight in such a short period of time that they often cannot even walk and develop many other physical malformations.

Despite this, through the act of cognitive dissonance, human beings always find a way to morally justify themselves and their contradictory actions. Perhaps that’s why in the United States there is a tradition, on Thanksgiving Day, in which 46 million turkeys are killed: the President of that country grants clemency to two turkeys which are spared death.

This imposing and extraordinary artwork crafts a narrative that traces global food systems from farm to table, the turkey's tattoo referencing Portugal’s colonial wars and its historical significance. The piece tells a story of the dissonance between the living and the consumed is etched, urging a confrontation with the realities of our interconnected consumption.

Medium | Photography Inkjet print

Size | 210 x 140 cm

Rarity | Unique

Condition | Excellent

Signature | Signed

Includes a Certificate of Authenticity