Outline

Photograph depicts a bizarre family of strange hybrid-human creatures, including a mother and suckling babies.  

Brief Analysis

The photograph is of an artist’s sculpture and is not an image of real creatures.

Example

Subject: FW: What in the world is this????????????????????

Weird!
It’s a cow?
It’s a dog?
No, it’s a pig.

Detailed Analysis

This rather intriguing photograph is currently circulating via email. The photograph arrives with one of a variety of messages that speculate on what strange creatures the image actually depicts. Does it show some weird half pig half human family? Is it a human dog? Is it a photograph that has been cleverly altered with an image manipulation program?

In fact, there is no mystery. The photograph shows a sculpture by artist Patricia Piccinini. The sculpture named “The Young Family”, was part of the We are Family exhibition displayed in the Australian Pavilion of the 50th Biennale of Venice in 2003.

More information about Patricia Piccinini and her work is available on the artist’s website.