Sue Coe, Untitled, 2004 Source

Sue Coe is an artist who grew up living next to a slaughterhouse. She was deeply impacted by this and, as a result, dedicated herself to fighting animal cruelty. She goes all over the world visiting factory farms, slaughterhouses, meat-packing plants, circuses, labs etc. Often times, she will sketch right on location which would explain the chillingly real depictions. Her work is highly political and highly controversial. In addition to animal cruelty, she fights other injustices as well, but the majority of her work seems to be focused on the animals. Some critics feel politics have no place in art museums, like Joanna Shaw-Eagle. But I happen to think art is a fantastic medium for political opinions and moral stances. Her work has appeared in such publications as New York Times, The New Yorker, Time, Newsweek, Rolling Stone, and Artforum. The strength it takes to see the things she has seen throughout her life, and the work she produces as a result, are admirable. The innocent animals that are victims of such unnecessary torture need a strong woman like Sue Coe on their side.

sources: http://www.brown.edu/Facilities/David_Winton_Bell_Gallery/coe.html, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sue_Coe, http://www.flashpointmag.com/suecoe.htm