Franschhoek Farm Animal Sanctuary
Franschhoek Farm Animal Sanctuary
Franschhoek Farm Animal Sanctuary serves to instill an awakened connection between farm animals and visitors – aiming to inspire a positive change in the way society views and treats farmed animals. Driving and funding the mission are founder/director Joanne Lefson and the resident rescued ‘fabulous and famous’ painting pig ‘Pigcasso’. Their artworks have sold for millions around the world and the funds not only sustain the operations at the sanctuary but Pigcasso’s world-breaking records have received unprecedented coverage for the plight of farmed animals.
There is an abundance of information available online that explores the tragedy that is industrialised animal farming and its detrimental effects on the environment our health and the welfare of farmed animals. Get informed and join us in taking a stand against modern factory farming practices, choosing compassion over cruelty and cultivating a more sustainable world for all.
Accommodation
For those seeking an extraordinary lodging experience to remember long after the cows come home, count sheep no further! Farm Sanctuary SA offers three strikingly different lodging options that each inspire. Stay in a chick-come-rustic stay in a renovated container or sour to the central barn loft and be surrounded by vintage decks, steam, sauna and views that will absolutely take your breath away. To book directly email oink@pigcasso.org.
We also recommend the neighbouring boutique Estate accommodation, ’La Villa Retreat’ which offers a variety of accommodations that range from an exclusive luxury guesthouse that offers you the opportunity to relax and to rejuvenate in a truly authentic and peaceful environment alongside Farm Sanctuary SA.
Oink – Art by Pigcasso
Pigcasso and Joanne Lefson represent the first human – non-human art collaboration of it’s kind.
Pigcasso was rescued just before slaughter in 2016 by Joanne Lefson and taken to Farm Sanctuary SA in Franschhoek, South Africa. When Joanne noticed that Pigcasso ate or destroyed everything except some old paint brushes that were laying in her stall, she decided to nurture the pig’s potential talent. It didn’t take long before Pigcasso began to paint – and over time, the painting process developed into an extraordinary collaboration between human and pig. Lefson selects the colours while Pigcasso takes the brush into her mouth and creates her magic across the canvas. Lefson watches from afar, able to stop Pigcasso if she observes an interesting form developing that is relatable to the human eye. Every original is signed by Pigcasso’s nose-tip, countersigned by Lefson and includes a Certificate of Authenticity. Proceeds from the sale of every artwork benefit the registered nonprofit Farm Sanctuary SA that Lefson established in 2016.
Their unrivalled story has been prominently featured on all leading media networks including BBC, CNN,SKY News, GMA, ABC, Der Spiegel and ZDF. Their artworks are also collected by an impressive global audience which include the Hollywood elite and leading environmentalists alike. Pigcasso has also collaborated with leading brands which include SWATCH and has hosted a number of prominent exhibitions in Europe and China. In 2022, she entered theGuinness World Records for her artwork ‘WILD AND FREE’ which sold for a record-breaking $25 000. The unprecedented coverage not only highlights the intelligence of pigs, but gains widespread awareness for the plight of farm animals which is the leading mission of Farm Sanctuary SA, the registered NPO in South Africa where Pigcasso resides.
Through their extraordinary collaboration, the creatives aim to challenge the status quo; igniting debate on the definition of art, while highlighting the detrimental effects of animal agriculture on the welfare of farmed animals and the environment in order to inspire a kinder, more sustainable world.