KOEN VANMECHELEN (Sint-Truiden, Belgium, 1965). "Mechelse Silky C.C.P.", 2012. Taxidermy sculpture of Japanese hen, wooden base and two photographs (rooster and hen, father and mother of the hen in the sculpture). Unique piece. Attached certificate signed by the artist. Measurements: 34 x 30 x 16 cm (hen); 47 x 36,5 x 29 cm (hen urn); 30 x 30 cm (each of the two photographs). Throughout his life, the artist Koen Vanmechelen has been fascinated by the chicken and the egg. Already as a child he built cages and aviaries, and had an incubator in his room. Then he realized that the domestic chicken has its cage inside. The egg is its prison. The chick that breaks through the eggshell is a symbol of liberation. This work belongs to "The Cosmopolitan Chicken Project (CCP, 1999)" a global, transdisciplinary and transtemporal examination of the themes of biocultural diversity and identity through the interplay of art, science and beauty. In the CCP, artist Koen Vanmechelen crosses chicken breeds from different countries. His ultimate goal is the creation of a Cosmopolitan Chicken carrying the genes of all chicken breeds on the planet. Much more than a simple domestic animal, the chicken is art in itself. It serves as a metaphor for the human animal and its relationship to the biological and cultural diversity of the planet. While native breeds descended from the original chicken (the Red Junglefowl) are evolutionary dead ends (being shaped to reflect the typical cultural characteristics of their community), Vanmechelen crosses are solutions. Many years of crossbreeding have shown that each successive generation is hardier, lives longer, is less susceptible to disease and exhibits less aggressive behavior. Genetic diversity is essential, demonstrates the Cosmopolitan Chicken Research Project (CC®P), which studies the various cosmopolitan chickens. In the millennial year 2000, Vanmechelen presented its first "crossbreed", the Mechelse Bresse, a "cross" born from the Belgian Mechelse Koekoek and the French Poulet de Bresse. To date, twenty-one pure breeds have been included in the CCP. Koen Vanmechelen is a conceptual artist of Belgian origin. He began his career in the early 1990s. His work focuses on biocultural diversity. Around this theme, Vanmechelen has also collaborated with scientists from different disciplines. These cross-border projects earned him an honorary doctorate from Hasselt University in 2010 and the Golden Nica Hybrid Art Prix Ars Electronica in 2013.Koen Vanmechelen is best known for his The Cosmopolitan Chicken Project or (CCP), Vanmechelen often collaborates with scientists and experts from various disciplines, such as Jean-Jacques Cassiman, Willem Ombelet, Maarten Larmuseau, Rik Pinxten and Marleen Temmerman. He uses innovative technologies such as 3D scanning, morphometry, 3D printing and interactive visualization techniques. His work is multimedia and ranges from expressive paintings and drawings to photography, video, installations, glasswork and wood sculptures. The common thread that often recurs is the chicken and the egg. Over the years, these objects have become symbols connecting scientific, political, philosophical and ethical issues. Throughout his prolific career he has had solo and group exhibitions at the National Gallery (London), Victoria and Albert Museum (London), Museum Kunstpalast (Düsseldorf), Muziekgebouw aan 't IJ (Amsterdam), Macro (Rome), MAD Museum (NY), Slot Belvedere (Vienna), ZKM (Karlsruhe) and Pushkin Museum (Moscow), among others. In addition to the Venice Biennale, his work has been exhibited at the Moscow, Dakar, Havana and Poznan Biennials, the 2010 Shanghai World Expo, the Guangzhou Triennial, Manifesta 9 and dOCUMENTA (13).