These little piggies went to art show

First it was live fish and then it was a diamond skull, but now it is the turn of pigs to make their artistic debut at the White Cube gallery.

A pig that was rescued from one of China's deadliest earthquakes has become the subject of a new exhibition at the venue in St James's.

It features films and pictures and houses two live porkers.

The exhibition, Zhu Gangqiang — Cast Iron Pig in Mandarin — is named after the star of the show: a beast that survived the earthquake in Sichuan province last year.

The pig, a mix of Changbai and Sichuan breeds, became trapped in rubble after the May 6.9 tremor. It survived on rainwater, rotten wood and foraged food for 49 days.

Rescue workers said they found it after it let out a squeak, and it became a symbol of hope for the province where tens of thousands of people were killed — especially as 49 days is an important timeframe for Buddhists, who believe a soul remains on earth for this long between death and transmigration.

Artist Zhang Huan, a practising Buddhist, said he saw parallels between his own determination to succeed and the pig's determination to survive.

The farmer who owned Zhu Gangqiang lost his wife in the quake. He agreed to sell the pig to the artist after a town meeting discussed the animal's fate.

The sale was on the condition it would have a full-time carer. The animal now lives at Zhang's studio in Shanghai.

"Zhu Gangqiang touched me because it was something so impossible, something that experts say has a life force far stronger than man," said Zhang.

"This exhibition is about life, rebirth, and love for all. It is a collective remembrance of those killed in the earthquake and a blessing for those who survived," the artist added.

Whilst Zhu Gangqiang is not in London for the exhibition, visitors can see it live on a screen as footage is streamed from China.

However, the ground floor has been converted into a habitat for two pedigree Oxford Sandy and Black pigs called Gertrude and Elfie.

The pigs, of a rare traditional breed, come from a farm in Dorset and will be donated to Vauxhall City Farm in October when the exhibition finishes.

In the basement there will be paintings made with dried incense ash from Shanghai temples, some of which depict Zhu Gangqiang's rescue, and skull paintings created as a remembrance of human mortality.

Zhang is well known in his home country for performance art. In one of his early works he sat in a Chinese public lavatory covered in fish oil and surrounded by flies.

Zhu Gangqiang, by Zhang Huan, opens at White Cube in Mason's Yard on Friday and runs until 3 October.