Today's bunny discussion switches from cats in advertisements and funny
studio portrait humping-bunnies to the fine art world, where many
serious photographers are utilizing animal imagery in their work. I'm
not just talking about the Jill Greenberg set, but rather, the folks
who make animal imagery that relates more directly to the human
experience. Just this past Friday, after mulling over cats in ads the
previous day, I awoke to my daily Flak Photo, and this is what i saw:
This is Sarah Small's Molly and EllyMay, and was included in the recent Humble Arts show.
Kismet?
Another image that has been making the rounds lately is this one, by Hannah Whitaker.
Amy Stein was the one to alert me to this picture (which we both love), and also let me know that the image will be on the cover of next month's BlindSpot, which marks a trend, if you ask me. I LOVE Amy's work and blog, and asked her to weigh in on this animal trend. What does it all mean, Amy?
Thanks, Amy! I guess I am guilty of the quirky animal/object shot. Hmmm. In any case...
I too am a fan of Alessandra Sanguinetti. Here are a few of the images from her On the Sixth Day series:
About this work, Sanguinetti says:
From Simen Johan's Until the Kingdom Comes:
From Nicolai Howalt and Trine Søndergaard's project How to Hunt:
And, of course, some imagery from the inimitable Amy Stein's Domesticated series (here is an interesting interview about the making of this work::
These artists are taking the animal concept and imagery to a much higher level. I can't get enough of it.
Fair reader, what do YOU think of this work?
psst... also check out Nicole Jean Hill. Anyone else?
UPDATE:
Andy Adams reminded me of Brian Lesteberge's work about hunting culture in North Dakota.
Quick sample, called Two Pheasants:
And fabulous PS editor Amber Sexton alerted me to Erika Larsen's two projects Young Blood, and The Hunt. Great work, not for the squeamish. I'm having tempeh for lunch.
This is Sarah Small's Molly and EllyMay, and was included in the recent Humble Arts show.
Kismet?
Another image that has been making the rounds lately is this one, by Hannah Whitaker.
Amy Stein was the one to alert me to this picture (which we both love), and also let me know that the image will be on the cover of next month's BlindSpot, which marks a trend, if you ask me. I LOVE Amy's work and blog, and asked her to weigh in on this animal trend. What does it all mean, Amy?
I don't think it's a secret or a trend that we humans love our charismatic megafauna. Take a walk around your average office building and I bet you will find a goodly percentage of the employees marking their days with a kitten or puppy wall calendar. If you want to move units of beer, tacos or personal liability insurance you are apparently best served by hiring a dog or duck to make your pitch. If you want to grab the attention of 37-year-old photographer who writes a blog and can't stop talking about her very large cat, produce a photo of a rabbit with a rainbow on his back.
Most fine art photographers seem to have an animal shot in their portfolio. I think this has a lot to do with the scattered nature of most photography portfolios and what appears to be the standardized growth process of the modern photographer. Many young photographers start off shooting photos of their quirky friends and then move on to quirky objects. These quirky objects tend to be things found in your average grandma's bedroom, an oddly placed taxidermied deer head or the neighbors pet. If these photos run cute they will get passed around the Internet eliciting real and ironic "ahhhs" and "ohhhs" from a populace raised on a steady diet of Hello Kitty, Hamster Dance and Mr. Winkle.
In contrast there has been a number of very mature and very excellent photos series where animals are a critical part of their narrative. I am thinking of Alessandra Sanguinetti, Simen Johan and Nicolai Howalt and Trine Søndergaard. These photographers are exploring animal and human relationships that run much deeper than our love of furry critters. They are using animals not for the sake of using animals, but as a means to examine various aspects of human behavior and motivation. I like to think my Domesticated work stands in this company.
Thanks, Amy! I guess I am guilty of the quirky animal/object shot. Hmmm. In any case...
I too am a fan of Alessandra Sanguinetti. Here are a few of the images from her On the Sixth Day series:
About this work, Sanguinetti says:
"To portray an animal is to name it. Once named it acquires a new life, and then, is spared death. Each sacrifice gives us back a disturbing image of the border we cross when we end a life, and what it entails to have sole dominion over another living creature. It is possible that by exploring the fine line that separates us from what we rule, we may reach a better understanding of our own nature."
From Simen Johan's Until the Kingdom Comes:
From Nicolai Howalt and Trine Søndergaard's project How to Hunt:
And, of course, some imagery from the inimitable Amy Stein's Domesticated series (here is an interesting interview about the making of this work::
These artists are taking the animal concept and imagery to a much higher level. I can't get enough of it.
Fair reader, what do YOU think of this work?
psst... also check out Nicole Jean Hill. Anyone else?
UPDATE:
Andy Adams reminded me of Brian Lesteberge's work about hunting culture in North Dakota.
Quick sample, called Two Pheasants:
And fabulous PS editor Amber Sexton alerted me to Erika Larsen's two projects Young Blood, and The Hunt. Great work, not for the squeamish. I'm having tempeh for lunch.
Stumble Upon
More serendipity than kismet, I'd say.
As a fan, advocate, and friend of Sarah Small, I think lumping her work (even, perhaps, unintentionally) within the terms of this quote does her vision and her photography a disservice: "These quirky objects tend to be things found in your average grandma's bedroom, an oddly placed taxidermied deer head or the neighbors pet. If these photos run cute they will get passed around the Internet eliciting real and ironic "ahhhs" and "ohhhs" from a populace raised on a steady diet of Hello Kitty, Hamster Dance and Mr. Winkle."
She's worth a more serious and nuanced look: http://sarahsmall.com
Yes, I'm afraid that was entirely unitentional; I chose to include that image of Sarah's in this post because I like it, not because it is an example of what Amy says down below. Sorry for the confusion. Sarah does have some truly incredible imagery, I absolutely agree. All the images shown within this post get my thumbs-up. Roeper?
-Rachel
I'm a huge fan of the Domesticated series, ever since seeing it at 3rd Ward a while back.
I think Beuys was concerned with the idea of ritual, the shamanic aspect of his work, and I know he spent time in a gallery with a wild coyote.
I think it's this kind of connection that we intrinsically feel with animals, we want to discover some kind of spiritual link with us and nature... Tree pictures are also immensely popular. We are interested in them because we can see a pattern, but we can never truly understand how the pattern plays out... likewise, we see the movement, knowledge and expression of these animals but we can never truly understand them. Aliens among us and we want to love them, and perhaps more importantly, we dream they love us.
thought you might be interested to see this:
http://nymag.com/daily/fashion/2008/03/magazines_take_a_walk_on_the_w.html