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A classic Orwellian quotation reads, “All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others.” Artists Julian Charriere and Julius von Bismarck recognized the irony in this truth and took it upon themselves to deliver justice to the avian hierarchy. In their work “Some pigeons are more equal than others,” Charriere and Bismarck play fairy godmother by airbrushing 35 pigeons with a rainbow spectrum of hues in Copenhagen during the 2012 Venice Biennale. Ordinary gray pigeons are blessed with the regal plumage of a peacock, the bright pinks of a flamingo, and other gifts of color that nature denied the typically homely birds. A special booth consisting of a bird trap and conveyer belt mechanism was designed by the two artists to bestow blessings upon the lucky ones; the process is harmless, save for perhaps a twinge of jealousy and a hint of arrogance. But what’s a little competition among fine-feathered friends?
