Slaughterhouse by Nguyễn Văn Đủ: Cow Blood Paintings to Protest the Violent Cow Farming Industry

Vietnamese painter Nguyễn Văn Đủ who won the 2022 Sovereign Asian Art Prize has been creating a series of paintings with cow blood titled Slaughterhouse. The paintings depict the often unethical practices in slaughterhouses and cow farms, which shows how an animal as big and majestic as a cow can be reduced to a few plastic bags of waste. These paintings protest against the inhumane practices of the beef industry and call for change. This is why Slaughterhouse by Nguyễn Văn Đủ is aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals of Life on Land and Zero Hunger.

Despite being graphic, Đủ’s Slaughterhouse paintings do not show the actual acts of violence, but instead show its aftermath or moments just before any violent acts occur. Dried up cow’s blood, set with alum salt and golden varnish on canvas gives him some control of the shades of red that appear in paintings, allowing him to shade and depict light. As these paintings age, blood oxidizes and browns, which can already be seen in some of the paintings. This betrays the painting’s age, and how long it has been since the cow farm industry has seen any change for the better.

In 2023, cattle production in Vietnam reached 493,200 metric tons. This reality stands side by side with brutal practices in the industry that had been reported by Animals Australia in 2016 as they had been investigating abuse allegations done to Australian cattle that had been exported to Vietnam. During the investigation, the animal rights group had recorded a cow being clubbed in the head over five times with a sledgehammer, all in the hands of a slaughterhouse worker in Vietnam.

Since then, ethical livestock farming has become a growing trend in Vietnam. A value increase in farm-to-products is also attracting more and more farms to adopt more humane practices. Hence, this is why is it important for Slaughterhouse by Nguyễn Văn Đủ to be exhibited, to help support this growing consciousness where both consumers and farmers are increasingly becoming more and more aware of the need to practice humane farming.

Nguyễn Văn Đủ's Slaughterhouse series is a visceral and poignant protest against the brutality of the beef industry, using the very medium of cow blood to evoke a powerful response from viewers. By capturing the harrowing realities of slaughterhouses without directly depicting the violence, Đủ compels people to reflect on the ethical implications of their consumption habits and the often unseen suffering involved in meat production. 

As the blood in his paintings ages and darkens, it serves as a haunting reminder of the long-standing nature of these issues and the urgent need for reform. Slaughterhouse stands as a stark call to action, urging both consumers and farmers to embrace a more ethical approach to animal farming, and contributing to the growing movement for humane treatment of livestock in Vietnam and beyond.

Find out more about Slaughterhouse and other pieces by Nguyễn Văn Đủ on Instagram @ngunyenvandu_painters.