<Angus, Thongs and Imperfect Staging — Art News
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article culture calendar_today Monday, March 16, 2026

Angus, Thongs and Imperfect Staging

The art collective MSCHF saved a cow named Angus from slaughter after a two-year project called 'Our Cow Angus'. The project allowed fans to preorder burgers or a leather bag made from Angus, but also provided a 'Remorse Token' to cancel orders. If 50% of tokens were used by the deadline, Angus would be spared and sent to a sanctuary. With ten hours remaining, the threshold was met, and the cow's life was saved.

The article critiques the project's execution and impact, arguing it failed to generate significant ethical outrage or meaningful commentary. While intended as a critique of hypercapitalism, selective grief, and the commodification of life—drawing parallels to works like Damien Hirst's—the project lacked emotional depth and consistent storytelling. The author suggests its potential message about collective responsibility for animal suffering was lost due to a superficial presentation that limited public engagement and failed to make Angus a compelling character.