Street art photo of the week: Capitalist pig

Each Friday I post a photo of street art to my LeslieTravel Facebook page. Usually it’s a challenge to pick a single work. This Friday, however,  my decision was a no-brainer.

What’s more fitting for “Black Friday” than this capitalist pig?

Capitalist pig in NYC's East Village (photo: Leslie Koch)

I came across this little piggie on the street outside of an East Village bar.  To be honest, I’m not sure if he was meant as a critique of our shopping habits; it looks like the “$” scrawled across his chest was added after the mural was finished.

Still, I recognize the expression on the pig’s face. That’s the shame-filled wince of someone who has spent too much on holiday gifts and has just seen his credit card statement!

Capitalist pig in context. (photo: Leslie Koch)

Downtown Manhattan is teeming with street art– from commissioned work by established artists (see Shepard Fairey’s defaced mural on Houston street) to Olek’s bicycles covered in crochet.  Not to mention the political messages scrawled anonymously throughout the East Village.

What do you think of this capitalist pig?

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About Leslie Koch

I'm a New Yorker with a passion for travel and art. I founded DowntownTraveler.com after returning from a year-long backpacking trip around the world. Find me on Twitter at @leslietravel.

6 Comments

  1. Krista

    So apropos!! He’s great. This Black Friday madness is truly insane!

  2. Looooving the irony of this photo on this crazy spending week/end.

  3. Yes, this is a great image to represent Black Friday and Cyber Monday!

  4. woohoo! Black Friday personified! v cool piggy indeed!

  5. Is he in pain….?? Cause he has too much money on his belly??? Jealous!!! 🙂

  6. @Juno- I hadn’t thought of it that way. Like any artwork, it seems open to interpretation! 😉

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