Taxidermy Art

I came across this bizarre yet moving taxidermy art in the Guggenheim on a trip to New York a few years ago and just accidentally stumbled across again it on the internet. The artist's name is Cai Guo-Qiang.

Here is a piece of his I saw called Head On. Ninety-nine wolves running headlong into a glass wall.

And this is another piece of his I saw in the Gug' called Tiger and Arrows:

Many would argue this to be grotesque beyond meaning, but I feel moved by it. To me it seems to be making a cold, satirical statement about how Man tries to exercise control over everything, mocking even death. Or perhaps it's about extinction. Or a combination of the two. But of course it's up to you how you interpret it. Anyway, it's far less shallow stuff than that bloody Damien Hirst's shark in a tank.