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You Can Get Anything You Want at Banksy's Pet Store and Charcoal Grill

Who really cares if legendary guerrilla street artist Banksy has been unmasked or not? Regardless of whether we know his identity, the guy's still turning out sage social commentary in the form of both graffiti and studio art at a blistering pace in venues around the world. His latest official foray into the quasi-gallery scene is in New York, where his Village Pet Store and Charcoal Grill questions the modern world's relationship with animals and the morality of factory farming. The faux pet shop in the West Village is filled with animatronic installations designed to elicit double- and triple-takes from casual viewers. In one exhibit, a pair of chicken nuggets with legs dip themselves in sauce as a rooster looks on from a doghouse, just like in real life. Another shows fish sticks swimming in a fish bowl, in an amusing take on people's strange aversion to the fishy taste of seafood. Perhaps most powerful is a pearl-adorned rabbit beautifying herself with an assortment of cosmetics in front of a vanity mirror. It's true, rabbits love makeup. If you're in the city, drop by the shop at 89 Seventh Avenue South until October 31, 2008, or view a few good photos here and a nifty video here.

[Photo: Wooster Collective]

Related Stories:
· The Village Pet Store and Charcoal Grill [Official Site]
· Banksy [Official Site]
· Village Pet Store and Charcoal Grill Opens in New York City [Wooster Collective]
· In Pictures: Banksy's Pet Shop [BBC News]
· Banksy Coverage [Jaunted]