Wenling Chen, Riding to Happiness (with 56 little pigs), 2006. Fiberglass; variable dimensions. 
Gift from Vicki and Kent Logan to the Collection of the Denver Art Museum, 2010.470.1-57
© Wenling Chen

Chen Wenling uses traditional Chinese symbols such as pigs and the color red as ironic commentary on Chinese society. In "Riding to Happiness (with 56 little pigs)", a triumphant man and woman ride atop a sow, joyfully ignorant of the animal’s suffering. The sow’s neck is craned with her mouth set in a grimace. The juxtaposition of the couple’s happiness with the sow’s suffering is reminiscent of the contrast between the exploited worker and those who joyously but ignorantly benefit from their labor. 

Born in Fujian Province, China, in 1969, Chen attended Xiamen Academy of Art and Design and Central Academy of Fine Arts, Beijing, China. 

• “Stampede: Animals in Art” — Denver Art Museum, 9/10/2017