Intro

Gallery Name: Chroma
Located: Yucaipa, CA
Run By: Katlynn Tatge
Type of Work: There really is no limit to the type of work shown here- from old work to new, and experienced, famous artists to beginner artists just trying to make a change. As long as the work is beautiful, and not necessarily in the conventional way, and makes an impact, it is welcome in the gallery.

Exhibition Intro

Exhibition Title: Creature Cruelties

Artists Being Shown: Sue Coe, Jackson Thilenius, Banksy, Gale Hart, Jillian Dickson, Rocky Lewycky, Andy Warhol, and Jim Holyoak

Exhibition Statement: This show is about bringing awareness to the abuse and harm caused to animals throughout the world. The artists in this show are or were all hoping to bring attention to hurting animals in any and every situation causing them distress. In other research projects, I couldn't help but notice the rising trend in art pushing for the ethical treatment of animals, thus birthing the theme. Research was done about artists for animal rights, and artists making any sort of statement against maltreatment, period. As I researched, I found artists highlighting many different kinds of harm, that even I hadn't originally thought of when creating this show, and became impacted by the theme myself. I hope that the show can help others, if only even one, see these animals through the eyes of these artists, and be filled with compassion for these creatures.

Sue Coe

Artist: Sue Coe
Title: She Packed Her Trunk And Said Goodbye To The Circus
Medium: Prints and Multiples, Colored woodcut on natural kitakata paper
Size: 20" X 16"
Date: 2006

About the Artist: Sue Coe was born in Tamworth, Staffordshire in November 1951. She attended the Chelsea School of Art in London from 1968 to 1971 and the Royal College of Art from 1970 to 1973. After graduating she moved to New York and began teaching at the School of Visual Arts until 1978. Sue began illustrating for newspapers and magazines like the New York Times, producing images protesting political and social injustices. She grew up close to a slaughterhouse and developed a passion to stop cruelty to animals, and in the 1980's and 1990's the mistreatment of animals for scientific experimentation and food became an increasing theme in her work. She lived in New York City from 1972 to 2001 and currently lives in upstate New York.

Artist Statement: We despair for the fate of animals, the senseless cruelties inflicted upon them by our species, their and our own helplessness in the face of mass slaughter--all this is true. And if we could really see what we have done to the earth, we would go mad. Alongside that is yet another truth: there is a palpable goodness all around us, even in the most terrible times, that all things point to, like the north star.

About the Work, etc.: Sue Coe, in my opinion, is one of the most successful artists in directing attention to misdeeds in our society. She never limits herself to specific topics, and even in her work dealing with animal cruelty, she covers just about every form of the problem. This piece, for example, covers the maltreatment of elephants in the circus, something rarely seen or focused on in art, and it doesn't stop there. She covers animal abuse topics ranging from scientific testing and experimentation, to factory farming and slaughterhouses, to mass fishing, shark fishing, and BP oil spills. I chose this piece in particular, because it shows her range in topics and that she truly cares for all creatures. Though most of her work does focus on slaughterhouses, this piece shows that she still sheds light on issues that many people may not even think about, or issues that are not talked about as much as they should be. Coe's work pushes boundaries and it exudes the urgency and passion she carries. 

Jackson Thilenius

Artist: Jackson Thilenius
Title: Next
Medium: Oil on canvas
Size: 60" X 48"
Date: 2011

About the Artist: Jackson Thilenius is an accomplished artist and Architect. He earned a Master of Architecture degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology, and has been practicing Architecture on his own since 2001. Thilenius has always been drawn to diverse subject matter and honed his skills as an excellent draftsman and painter at a young age. After moving to California, Thilenius shifted the focus of his paintings to include more figurative studies. His most recent works have been inspired by the lifestyles and personalities of southern California. His paintings can be found in multiple shows and galleries around the Los Angeles area, where he now resides.

Artist Statement:  "Through artistic expression, create thought-provoking images of animal cruelty as a catalyst for radical, positive changes within any industry reliant on the physical, mental or emotional torture of animals. Social awareness of animal atrocities is the immediate goal of this exposure with the intent of promoting lifestyles that are not dependent on the inhumane exploitation of innocent animals." - Jackson Thilenius on what he wants from his work as well as the other work featured on his website, www.crusadecreative.org

About the Work, etc.: In Thilenius' piece, Next, he provides a different perspective on cows entering the slaughterhouse; two perspectives, actually. We get to see not only the cow that is next up to be slaughtered, but what the cow itself sees- it's horrifying destiny. The work shows the life these cows are bred for, and is filled with emotion. It makes you wonder, whether you believe they have emotions or not, what the the cows are feeling at that moment. 

Banksy

Artist: Banksy
Title: Sirens of the Lambs
Medium: "Moving sculpture" including meat truck, driver, 60 stuffed animal puppets (as well as their four puppeteers), and an audio guide accessed through an 800 number printed on the truck
Size: Unknown* ("moving sculpture")
Date: 2013

About the Artist: Banksy is a well-known street artist, although his identity remains unknown. He is believed to have been born in 1974 in Bristol, England. He began his career as a graffiti artist in the early 1990s, in Bristol's graffiti gang DryBreadZ Crew, and gained recongnition for his provocative stenciled pieces in the late 1990s. His siignature style often engages political themes, satirically critiquing war, capitalism, hypocrisy and greed. Banksy's worldwide fame has transformed his artwork from acts of vandalism to sought-after high art pieces.

Artist Statement: "Audio on the [Banksy] site says this is either a statement on the "casual cruelty" of the meat industry or "something vague and pretentious" about losing childhood innocence. In keeping with that theme, the video ends with a displeased child sobbing in a stroller." - Amy Hubbard of the LA Times

About the Work, etc.: It is rumored that Banksy used to work in a butcher shop, which may be the inspiration behind this, as well as other artworks of his. This piece undeniably calls out factory farming and animal cruelty, whether or not there is another meaning behind it. The fact that stuffed animals are used here draws attention to the fact that the real animals that could be in their place are on the way to their deaths and reminds us that we rarely take into consideration the lives of the animals. It shows us how we treat animals- as food or as cute, cuddly pets, but never in the respect that they deserve to be treated.


*I know size is a requirement, but I hope an exception can be made in such a case as this, since video is allowed.

Gale Hart

Artist: Gale Hart
Title: Forced to Wear Make-up
Medium: Acrylic and Pencil
Size: 41" X 71"
Date: 2009

About the Artist: "A childhood fascination with creating objects out of nuts, bolts, scrap metal and wood evolved into an intensely energetic creative drive. Gale Hart began her
career with an enduring passion to compile components into a whole. From
monumental canvases to meticulous graphite drawings, Hart's repertoire of visual
images grabs, engages and speaks volumes about universal humanity." - From Gale Hart's website

Artist Statement: "The paintings initiate a visceral discourse with the viewer - the viewer is intrigued and pulled into the narrative of the subject matter. Hart implements the use of
rhythmic geometric elements as a means of visual navigation. This technique of
unification formalizes the composition and mitigates visual and emotional agitation.
Color as a void saturates the background of the paintings against which the intense
hues of the figures emanate to elicit tension. Awkward color combinations distort
and disarm the eye, yet concurrently assist in the comprehension of the work." - From Gale Hart's website

About the Work, etc.: Hart's work against animal cruelty mainly focuses on the forcing of animals to be test subjects for products and experiments. This work, Forced To Wear Makeup puts into focus the fact that these animals don't have a choice in the matter- they are essentially held at gunpoint as depicted, and made to endure heinous actions. Though her work is so simple, you feel a great sense of tension between the two subjects in the image, helping the viewer feel the anxiety of the animals in her work.

Jillian Dickson

Artist: Jillian Dickson (Ludwig)
Title: Cow II
Medium: Graphite, color pencil, gouache, and pastel on paper
Size: 18" X 30"
Date: 2011
About the Artist: "Originally from Darien Illinois, Jillian graduated with a bachelor of fine arts degree in 2005 from Bradley University in Peoria, IL. She was awarded a full tuition scholarship to Clemson University in SC, and received her master's of fine arts degree in 2007. She has taught multiple art classes at the Art Institute of Austin, Texas State University, Baylor University, Clemson University, Interlochen Center for the Arts, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis and Elon University. Jillian decided to move to Lyon, France for a year to build her studio practice. Along with making work in her tiny studio apartment, she traveled, mostly throughout western Europe, and ate every local pastry possible. She now lives in Grand Rapids Michigan where she maintains a vibrant studio practice."

Artist Statement/ Background: "The series Fam Farm reflects in a calm, gentle manner the loss of natural farming within westernized culture. Genetic modification, factory farming, as well as deceitful packaging and misguided labeling results in confusion and a disconnection between customer and the source of their food. Each drawing describes animals, which are regularly used by humans, to be wrapped in flowing pink ribbons and balloons. These synthetic pretty objects operate to suggest manipulative tactics within the packaging and labeling of food. Besides ribbons and balloons, the influence of humans behavior upon these animals can be seen through plucked and exposed areas of an animal, an overproduction or misuse of hair/wool, and the fistula (access into the stomach hole) of a cow.The short-lived and harsh existence of farmed animals is a sobering discussion. For that reason, the work is constructed in a non-threatening and often playful or humorous manner. The pastel colors, medium scale, and narrative appeal are tactics of gentle persuasion for the awareness of animal treatment and conscious abundance of human consumption."

About the Work, etc.: To me, Jillian's "Fam Farm" series is one of the greatest examples in exposing animal mistreatment in farming. It shows how factory farmed animals are treated as objects to create wealth instead of living creatures. At first, her work comes across simply as beautiful portraits of animals, until you follow the beautiful blossoming flowers or winding ribbons and your eyes suddenly reach an open hole in a cows stomach or the raw flesh of a chicken. The tired, run down looks on the animals faces add to the mood, giving you a glimpse into their lives. The pieces are subtle, yet once you take in all the detail, they become powerful reminders of the conditions of these animals.

Twyla Francois

Artist: Twyla Francois
Title: Handle With Care
Medium: Painting- Acrylic on Canvas
Size: 18" X 24"
Date: 2015

About the Artist: "Originally from a small, rural community, Twyla connected with farmed animals from an early age. She has dedicated her life to advocating for them and has worked as the Canadian Head of Investigations for the international animal organization Animals' Angels, the Canadian-based organizations Canadians for Ethical Treatment of Food Animals and the Canadian Horse Defense Coalition, and most recently as Director of Investigations for Mercy For Animals Canada where she oversaw the completion and release of seven ground-breaking undercover investigations. Her work as a farmed animal cruelty investigator has been the focus of numerous documentaries, including No Country for Animals, Bêtes à bord, No Country for Horses, Food for Thought, Cruel Business, Behind the Barn Door, and These Little Piggies. Investigations conducted or overseen by Twyla have led to the closure of facilities, animal cruelty charges and convictions, corporate animal welfare policy reforms, government-commissioned research, rescues of abused and neglected farmed animals, and opening the hearts and minds of millions to the power of their food choices to create a kinder world." (twylafrancois.com)

Artist Statement on work: Last year in Canada nearly 300,000 veal calves were killed. Ripped away from their mothers' sides shortly after birth, they spent their short, miserable lives confined to a tiny wooden box so small they couldn't walk or even turn around. This painting depicts our macabre concern with animals only after they've been processed into something we view as useful and how we take pains to ensure the safety of it, while disregarding even basic welfare for those same animals while alive.

About the Work, etc.: Twyla, an investigator against animal cruelty acts, felt that although she had reached many through her work, documentary films, and photography, she needed to find a way to reach more masses and spread the word to stop animal abuse, and thus began creating paintings depicting the horrific scenes she saw in her day to day life. She feels the paintings are gentler, and will therefore appeal to more people, yet still be just as compelling. In this piece, she reveals what could be this cow's fate by painting on the side of the small crate: contains leather sofa. It offers a shocking blow, and makes what already seems like a bad situation even more unbearable. Though some of her work offers a glimpse at the horrible lives some animals endure, she comes back with just as many works about the polar opposite- happy animals in safe environments- showing what could be the lives of these animals if only society would change.

Asher Jay

Artist: Asher Jay
Title: In Tatters
Medium: Charcoal, Digital
Size: 500 X 800 pixels
Date: 2014

About the Artist: "Creative conservationist and National Geographic Emerging Explorer Asher Jay, uses groundbreaking design, multimedia arts, literature, and lectures to inspire global action to combat illegal wildlife trafficking, advance environmental issues, and promote humanitarian causes. Albeit she received an education in Fashion Design and Marketing at Parsons the New School of Design in New York, she found her way back through the arts, to her primary passion in wildlife conservation.
A staunch supporter of animal welfare, wildlife conservation and sustainable development, she found herself using her artistic prowess and writing to raise awareness through unique collaborations with scientists, non-profits and other kindred change agents. Over the years she has produced several graphic campaigns, written many poems, stories and articles, pieced together numerous collections and canvases, and spoken at various conferences, academic institutions and private salons to evoke hope and action in favor of a wild future." (asherjay.com)

Artist Statement: "Habitat loss due to mining, charcoal, and agriculture has resulted in extensive deforestation, as much as 400,000 acres a year in Tanzania alone. This is a huge problem for mega fauna, such as elephants, rhinos, and big cats that need a large expanse of land for survival. The need for charcoal is the most pronounced, as over 90% of Tanzanian households live off-grid with no access to renewable forms of energy, let alone gas or electricity. The threats unfolding in the grasslands are multifold, but the loss of essential habitat to fuel needs impelled me to create these works out of charcoal, a cheaply priced art material. The entire “Series in Red” alludes to the fact that life is interdependent, i.e. when we destroy habitat, we destroy the biodiversity it sustains, and vice versa. We either keep systems intact or we stand to lose everything." (asherjay.com)

About the Work, etc.: Jay focuses her work on the lives of more wild animals, such as big cats, elephants and rhinos, and the harm being done to them through habitat loss and illegal wildlife tracking. Working for National Geographic, she gets to travel the globe and see the suffering of these animals, and just what is causing it. Obviously, habitat loss is a big reason, but also the trafficking of the animals, often for the goods they produce. She hopes to create an impact through her work that moves people to advance preservation activities, and I feel her work does just that. It is simple, yet stunning and powerful. The boldness captures your attention and peaks your interest as well as your curiosity.

Rocky Lewycky

Artist: Rocky Lewycky
Title: Is It Necessary?
Medium: Sculpture - Ceramic sculptures (also, a gold-leafed pedestal, wood pallets, and text quotations on the gallery walls)
Size: Unknown* (installation/performance art)
Date: December 21, 2013 - February 23, 2014

About the Artist: Rocky Lewycky, born 1977 in the San Francisco Bay Area, is a contemporary artist living and working in Santa Cruz, California. His resume includes teaching positions at The University of South Carolina, Institute of American Indian Arts (I.A.I.A.), the Santa Fe Community College, Foothill College, Monterey Peninsula College, and De Anza College where he is currently head of ceramics. Rocky has been featured in museum shows, as well as gallery exhibits of contemporary sculpture, installation and performance throughout the country. Rocky was recognized by the Santa Fean magazine as ”One of the top five artists to watch in New Mexico,” and “Top Talent from emerging to established and our region’s most influential talent of all time,” in 2007 and 2008, respectively. In 2009, Rocky was chosen by Jo Lauria of Craft in America to install a ceramic art piece at the Eastern State Penitentiary for the 2010 Philadelphia NCECA conference. Most recently, he was honored with a $20,000 award from the Santa Cruz Rydel Visual Arts Fund of 2012/2013.

Artist Statement: My artwork is continuously shedding its skin, morphing through new mediums that convey ideas of time and transformation. Process is often a key entry point into my artistic expression, as demonstrated by mark making and repetition of form. Another element of my work is rooted in social activism. I am allured by the idea of the progressive existential hero whose paradigm is not limited by the current societal climate. Influences such as Eckhart Tolle, Rudolf Steiner, Joseph Beuys, and Wolfgang Laib permeate my art, as well as inspire the development of my own instruments of consciousness. With the appreciation, placement and necessity of art in present-day culture, I believe my work in deconstructing social barriers has the validity and strength to elicit insights into a more cohesive humanity.

About the Work, etc.: In Rocky's Santa Cruz MAH installation, there are hundreds of ceramic animal sculptures, grouped by species in rows. The sculptures sit across four wood pallets, which read "GENOCIDE: IS IT NECESSARY?". Every day, this installation turned into performance art when Rocky entered and smashed some sculptures, revealing the blood red interior of the ceramic animals. The rows of ceramic cows, turkeys, pigs, etc. and piles of ceramic fish are comparable to factory farming and mass fishing, seen not as living things, but a means of money. Once broken, the red interior becomes visible, representing the killing and blood of the "slaughtered" animals. Rocky's performance gives viewers a way to see just how these animals are being treated, as well as what it is like to be a worker in such a field, mindlessly killing without a second thought. 




*Once again, I know size is to be included, but I thought this was way too interesting and unique not to include. Forgive me!

Andy Warhol

Artist: Andy Warhol
Title: Giant Panda
Medium: Screenprint on Lenox Museum Board
Size: 38" X 38"
Date: 1983
About the Artist: Andy Warhol was born on August 6, 1928 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. After graduating from high school, he planned to study art education at the University of Pittsburgh to pursue a career as an art teacher, but he instead enrolled in the Carnegie Institute of Technology in Pittsburgh, where he then studied commercial art. Warhol earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in pictorial design in 1949, and later that year, he moved to New York City and started a career in magazine illustration and advertising. During the 1950's, Warhol gained popularity for his ink drawings of shoe advertisements. He began exhibiting his work during the 1950's, holding exhibitions in New York City and Los Angeles.

During the 1960's Warhol began to make paintings of iconic American objects such as dollar bills, Campbell's Soup Cans, and Coca-Cola bottles, celebrities such as Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley, and Elizabeth Taylor, as well as newspaper headlines. During these years, he founded his studio, "The Factory", gathered about him a wide range of artists, writers, musicians, and underground celebrities, and his work became incredibly popular yet controversial. Warhol died in Manhattan on February 22, 1987. According to news reports, he had been recovering from a routine gallbladder surgery at New York Hospital before dying in his sleep from a sudden post-operative cardiac arrhythmia.

Statement: The vibrantly coloured screenprints were described by Warhol as ‘animals in make-up’.
Séverine Nackers, Sotheby’s head of prints in Europe, said: “I think he was making a statement by representing these animals in the same way as Monroe, the Queen, and Muhammad Ali. He wanted to highlight the issue of them disappearing.”

About the Work, etc.: Though Warhol is so well known, work such as Giant Panda (and the rest of the series) still often go under the radar. The Endangered Species portfolio was commissioned in 1983 by Ronald and Frayda Feldman, long-time political and environmental activists who support innovative art projects and installations through their art gallery, Ronald Feldman Fine Art, New York. According to the Feldman's, the idea for the portfolio emerged after conversations with Warhol about ecological issues that included a discussion about beach erosion. Warhol was always interested in animals and when Ronald Feldman proposed the idea, Warhol embraced it.

Warhol's Giant Panda shows a different light on what can be considered animal abuse. The pieces were made in response to environmental problems, yet many people don't stop to think that our abuse of the environment in turn causes harm to animals, and Warhol wanted to highlight this. The animals in his bright prints are, or were at some point in time, almost extinct due to the actions of our society. Physical harm is being done to these creatures, even though it may not be direct or intentional, and that is what pieces like this bring to light. 

Jim Holyoak

Artist Website
Artist: Jim Holyoak
Title: Slaughtered Cow
Medium: Ink body prints and ink on paper
Size: 216" X 96"
Date: 2004
About the Artist: Jim Holyoak was born in Michigan, grew up in British Columbia, and has been based in Montréal for the last five years. He received a BFA with honors from the University of Victoria in 2004, and in 2007 he studied as an apprentice of ink painter, Shen Ling Xiang, in Yangshuo, China. Holyoak then went on to complete his MFA at Concordia University in 2011. His work has been published in three books and innumerable zines, and has exhibited in Vancouver, Los Angeles, New York, Montréal, Berlin, Trondheim, and at the Mustarinda House in the forests of central Finland.

Artist Statement: "'Fantasy abandoned by reason produces impossible monsters. Fantasy united with reason is the mother of the arts, and a source of wonders.' -Francisco Goya

My discipline is composed of drawing-installations and book-works, exploring the bridges and boundaries between perception and fantasy, humans and other animals, deep time and the present. What we think about, remember and imagine has a powerful effect on how we perceive and experience, on what we believe and how we behave. This is what prevents me from dismissing the imaginary as completely unreal.

During the last 15 years, I have amassed an enormous collection of paper – ranging in scale from postcards to murals – drawn, written, wrinkled and saturated with ink. Some are individual pieces unto themselves, some are pages for hand-bound books and zines, and some are garbage and debris. This material is reused within dense installation-environments, tailored to the architecture of the rooms that it occupies. Almost all my work is in greyscale. I’ve found that within the limits of ink, graphite, paper, light, and my own body, an inexhaustible variety of thinking and expression is possible. This is especially so given that my discipline is comprised of drawing and creative writing.

Though the content of my artwork ranges from the biological to the phantasmagorical, there is a persistent interest in human empathy for other species, and in the difficulty of fathoming deep time – the world millions of years ago, and the world ahead. The animals I contemplate most are the species that never existed, that no longer exist, and those that are on the brink of extinction. For example, I love dinosaurs because they are completely real and completely imaginary – they are monsters for real. This tension between what is real and imaginary, what once existed and no longer exists, is the uniting principle in all my work.

Questions I ask myself lately include: Could the mere wish to empathize with the non-human, or the attempt to imagine being something other than human, lead to knowledge outside our human experience? Is it possible for an artist such as myself to deal directly with ‘nature,’ or only with the attempts to characterize it? How does language and imagery shape our perceptions of our settings, other species and each other? How and when do stories and images meaningfully point beyond themselves to the real world?

While gravely concerned by the realities of species loss, climate change, and violence against animals and environments, I continue to defend playfulness, the suspension of disbelief and the power of raw imagination. I hope my work will be a catalyst for discomfort with anthropocentric views of human supremacy. Just as fairytales have often served a cautionary function, my drawings of monsters and haunted places are situated in the inevitably lonesome futurity that awaits our species if we carry on with fundamentalism, war and ecocide. Through drawing, installations and books, I am striving for a holistic reconnection between my artistic, social and environmental concerns." - Jim Holyoak, 2014

About the Work, etc.:  "This drawing is from a series of human / non-human hybrids, that include skin-prints from my body. I have drawn these out of concern for other animals, and the plight of their habitats. I have also drawn them out of a wish to metamorphose – a desire to know what it would be like to have a body other than my own. I will never know what it is like to belong to another species, but these drawing are an attempt to bridge that psychological void. Knowing that I cannot know, I yet suspect that there is value in the attempt, and the questions that arise. What do we have in common with other species? How are we different? What is the value of our real and supposed differences? Do we seem to relate, or do we feel alienated? How are humans distinct from the rest of nature? Is this separation an illusion? Are there ways to break the spell? These hybrids are omens of the monstrous. If monsters are animals that do not exist, then actual, living creatures are monsters for real." - Jim Holyoak

This work by Jim shows viewers a glimpse of animal cruelty in the same way that many in this gallery do; by presenting images of the slaughtering of animals. His work can be a bit gruesome, though it is toned down by the use of black and grey ink, rather than color, but it grabs viewers' attention and screams out what Holyoak feels is a problem in our modern society. Even though the series is about much more to him, you can still see the deep emotions he has for these animals through his work.

Conclusion

Through this process, I found it incredibly challenging to create an exhibition. There were many positives and negatives when searching artists to be featured. A positive, for instance, was the sheer amount of artists available to chose from, even with such an unusual theme. The negatives, however, were the lack of information on these artists in general and specifically on their work, which was the biggest challenge to overcome. I definitely have a new-found respect for curators and the difficulties they face, whether it be gathering artists specified to their wants and needs, to researching information needed to provide in the show. I also feel like, although there were many artists to choose from, the time period that these artists came from was somewhat limited. A theme such as the one I chose has gained more popularity and backing in recent years, so although I did find older artists, there definitely weren't many. However, I feel like connecting these artists was fairly simple, since they are all fighting for the same cause in one way or another, whether it is the main focus of their art or not. I am honestly not a huge animal rights activist, but it was hard not to be moved when reading about these artist's stories and cause, and having my eyes opened to the types of situations these animals go through. The experience of each artist may be different, but they all stand together in hopes to create urgency and a movement for innocent, helpless lives.