Koen Vanmechelen

Koen Vanmechelen is a Belgian multidisciplinary artist best known for his ongoing 'Cosmopolitan Chicken Project,' which he began in 1999, exploring themes of biodiversity, identity, and evolution by crossbreeding chicken breeds from different countries. His work spans installation, sculpture, photography, and living organisms, using the chicken as a metaphor for global cultural exchange and the human condition. Vanmechelen is internationally recognized for bridging art and science, collaborating with geneticists, philosophers, and institutions worldwide to examine questions of life, diversity, and coexistence.