This unusual mixture of tattoos includes Disney characters , patterns found on Russian prison inmates and even a Louis Vuitton logo . But what makes them even more strange is that they have been decorated onto live pigs while they are anaesthetised . Wim Delvoye began tattooing live pigs in 1997 in the US , before doing it in China from 2004 to 2008 , where animal welfare laws are more lax . Creation : The unusual mixture of tattoos includes Disney princesses , patterns found on Russian prison inmates and even a Louis Vuitton logo . 'Spoiled ' : Belgiam artist Wim Delvoye moved to China in 2004 and set up an art farm tattooing his creations onto living pigs . Drawings : Mr Delvoye kept around 20 pigs that were tattooed based on his designs by a team of Chinese experts in anaesthesia and tattooing . Characters : A worker tattooed Ariel from the Disney film The Little Mermaid onto the skin of a pig ( left ) , which can also be seen ( right ) The Belgian artist claimed the pigs were spoiled - with locals in Yang Zhen , Beijing , said to have been amazed at how well they were treated . Up to three artists applied a tattoo simultaneously while each pig was under anaesthetic , and carers regularly moisturised the pigs ' skin . But animal rights campaigners complained that the pigs were suffering unnecessarily and being abused for improper commercial profit . The animals ' skins were sold for up to £55,000 a piece , with one canvas featuring Disney characters sold to Chanel and made into two bags . A People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals spokesman said Mr Delvoye ’ s actions would have left the pigs ‘ sore , scared and confused ’ . Art : Mr Delvoye began tattooing live pigs in 1997 in the US , before doing the same in China from 2004 , where animal welfare laws are more lax . Backside : The skin of a pig in China is tattooed with Disney characters Princess Jasmine from Aladdin and Ariel from The Little Mermaid . Careful work : Up to three artists applied a tattoo simultaneously while the pig was under anaesthetic , while carers moisturised the skin . Stuffed on display : Mr Delvoye ( pictured ) , 49 , has worked on other projects including marble replicas of twisted Gothic-style towers . Le Cochon : Some of the tattooed pigs are pictured at an exhibition at the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art of Nice in France in 2010 . He told MailOnline : ‘ Talented and visionary artists do not rely on cruelty to animals to get attention . ‘ Pigs , cows and chickens are emotional , thinking animals who feel pain every bit as much as we do , and they value their lives. ’ Since these photographs were taken , Mr Delvoye , 49 , has worked on other projects including marble replicas of twisted Gothic-style towers . And he even tattooed a man ’ s back before selling it as art - with the collector bizarrely able to keep the person ’ s skin when he dies . Last year Mr Delvoye told the Wall Street Journal : ‘ Art must fascinate people and doing easy things is not a good way to seek fascination . ’
Wim Delvoye began tattooing live pigs in 1997 , before doing it in China where animal welfare laws are more lax . He has since moved to the US and is now a successful tattoo artist with his own studio in New York City.