Barksy, the Dog MasterPees Collection, is a Wunderman Thompson Tokyo and Peace Wanko Japan collaboration, helping dogs to save themselves through art. Barksy hosts unique stencil artwork created by the one thing every dog uses to express themselves… pee.
In 2020, approx. 30,000 dogs were taken over by public health centres in Japan – 4,059 of these dogs were killed *. Although the number of dogs killed is decreasing each year, approx. 11 dogs still die at the hands of humans every day. Furthermore, the pandemic has contributed largely to a pet boom, there are growing concerns that the number of abandoned pets will increase due to economic difficulties and the resumption of socioeconomic activities.
It’s said that dogs obtain information such as sex, age, and body size by sniffing each other’s pee – expressing themselves by marking places such as the ground, power poles, and fences. Natural-born Street Artists if you ask us. Wondering if it would be possible to use dog pee to create artwork expressing the uniqueness of each dog in the shelter, Barksy was formed.
The one-of-a-kind “Dog MasterPees Collection”, created in collaboration with stencil artist Kansuke Akaike, differs from dog-to-dog in shape, colour, and even composition. The most recent editions are created by the reaction of dog pee on Litmus paper – a commonly used paper for science classes and chemistry experiments, known for its colour changing chemical reactions. On top of this, Kansuke Akaike stencils a portrait of the dog who helped created the one-of-a-kind artwork.
The project initially launched in November 2022 with a copper-coated paper edition. Combined, these campaigns have generated over USD 1 million in ad value and 33 artworks have been sold.
The project has extended the sale of its artwork to NFTs (or should we say NFPees) to encourage as many people as possible to donate. The second drop of artwork went on sale from 10 March (Friday) on Adam byGMO, the NFT marketplace of the GMO Internet Group Inc. To celebrate the launch of the second edition, an art exhibition “We are Barksy” was also held on 19 March, which featured art by shelter dogs for shelter dogs. In addition to exhibiting the second artwork, the exhibition also included an event for the transfer of “Artist” shelter dogs.
All profits from the sales will be returned to the activities of Peace Wanko to help a better future for Shelter Dogs. Each artwork price is set in reference to the cost of feeding and medical coverage for one shelter dog at Peace Wanko – making it easy to understand how the purchase of the artwork will contribute to dog protection activities.
Takayuki Niizawa, Chief Creative Officer at Wunderman Thompson Tokyo, said: ‘We hope that people will love Barksy for its simplicity and for the unique way we’ve drawn attention to this special cause. We hope by showcasing art that celebrates the uniqueness and special quality of each shelter dog, we can effectively raise awareness for the good work Peace Wanko Japan is doing. Stay tuned for our next release!”
* Ministry of the Environment ”Status of dog and cat take-backs and the housing and disposal of injured and other animals.”
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