Exhibition at Lunds Konsthall reflects on the relationship between humans and animals
The First Art Newspaper on the Net    Established in 1996 Monday, November 11, 2024


Exhibition at Lunds Konsthall reflects on the relationship between humans and animals
Installation view.



LUNDS.- Rainer Maria Rilke, one of the greatest poets in the German language, wanted to imagine how the world looks through the eyes of the panther in his famous poem with the same name, subtitled ‘In Jardin des Plantes, Paris’. The insight that different animals experience the world differently also means that the human world is not the objectively true one. When humankind is no longer considered the self-evident centre of the universe it becomes clear that all animals, also humans, must live symbiotically in order to survive.

Western thought has long claimed exceptional status for humankind. The term animale rationale goes back to Aristotle: an animal endowed with reasoning and abstract thinking, often considered key features of language. Today we know that non-human animals have their own languages, only different than ours.

‘In the Pupil of the Panther’ reflects on the relationship between humans and animals, departing from an enhanced consciousness of the acute stress that human lifestyles inflict on the habitats of all individuals. The exhibition contains work by seven artists who, like Rilke, portray animals as subjects with thoughts and feelings.

The exhibition may also be seen as a commentary on the era we have been living in since the onset of industrialism around the turn of the nineteenth century, often named ’Anthropocene’ after humankind itself and characterised by our collective impact on the Earth and the ecological, climatic and geological changes it has brought.

We need better knowledge about the living conditions of all beings, humans as well as non-human, and the insights we have already gathered have must be turned into action. In the catalogue essay, the exhibition’s curator Magnus af Petersens brings forward early observations on this topic from prominent writers such as Rilke, Jacob von Uexküll and Axel Munthe.

Noor Abuarafeh (Palestine, 1986) shows a film from a zoo, in which the animals become museum objects, deprived of their natural habitats and reduced to leading their lives as objects of study.

Joseph Beuys (Germany, 1921–86), an obvious reference in this context, saw the artist as a shaman capable of encompassing all of society. He wanted to erase the boundaries between humankind and (other) animals and nature, of which we are all part.

Kristina Buch (Germany, 1983) found herself isolated, during the pandemic, in her home in the University of Cambridge Botanic Garden and surroundings, together with a variety of variously sized animals she had mostly observed in passing. In 86 drawings she captures the animals' gaze with great intensity, bringing small as well as large animals on eye level with the observer.

Jimmie Durham (US, 1940) has produced two new works. One is inspired by the monk seal. It is often associated with the mythological sirens, luring sailors towards the cliffs and death. Today the ‘sirens’ song’ is supposed to have been the characteristic call of the monk seal.

Petrit Halilaj (Kosovo, 1986) has worked with decommissioned collections from a museum of natural history in Pristina, Kosovo. His recycling of the discarded taxidermied animals creates unexpected and humorous constellations.

Henrik Håkansson (Sweden, 1968) shows new white monochromes, with sugar added to the paint to attract bees and wasps. An homage to Robert Ryman, they also comment on Malevich’s well-known white-on-white paintings from 1916, meant to usher in the end of painting. The disappearance of pollinating bees would be a more concrete, and more devastating, ending.

Christine Ödlund (Sweden, 1963) visualises various forms of communications among plants and animals with knowledge deriving from both contemporary research and esoteric traditions. Her work breathes hope about a way forward, yet this presupposes our willingness to be humble and our ability to listen.

Curator: Magnus af Petersens










Today's News

September 27, 2021

'Ancestor' of Mediterranean mosaics discovered in Turkey

Exhibition brings together over a dozen of Frans Hals's best male portraits

Exhibition conveys approaches to art from the 1930s to the present day

Joe Minter hears the bulldozer coming. Will his artwork be saved?

Hindman Auctions to present timepieces by top designers in October sale

Missing gold Fabergé egg found by scrap-metal dealer and pair of royal sculptures reunited to feature in exhibition

Exhibition brings together paintings from the last five years of Jesse Murry's life

'Ghost Calls and Meditations': Kunsthaus Pasquart opens an exhibition of works by Emma Talbot

Galerie Guido W. Baudach displays two brand-new series of assemblage-like sculptures by Jasmin Werner

UCCA Center for Contemporary Art opens Huang Rui's largest solo exhibition in recent years

Exhibition at Lunds Konsthall reflects on the relationship between humans and animals

Jewel of Roman Empire lies neglected in Libya chaos

Exhibition featuring Indigenous artists Marie Watt and Cannupa Hanska Luger opens at the Carlos Museum

George Mraz, consummate jazz bassist, dies at 77

The score of Final Fantasy gets its due at the concert hall

Colby College officially breaks ground on the Gordon Center for Creative and Performing Arts

Artist group IC-98's Lands of Treasure opens at Serlachius Museums in Finland

María Mendiola, half of a chart-topping disco duo, dies at 69

Argentinian couples win top tango competition after Maradona tributes

Joel Coen's Macbeth: pure and somber

DMW Gallery in Antwerp presents a solo show by Marius Ritiu

Emmanuel Louisnord Desir's first exhibition with François Ghebaly opens in Los Angeles

Stars lend voices to world-spanning concert for climate, vaccines

Guido Spars appointed Founding Director of the Federal Bauakademie Foundation

Reasons To Begin Practicing An Art




Museums, Exhibits, Artists, Milestones, Digital Art, Architecture, Photography,
Photographers, Special Photos, Special Reports, Featured Stories, Auctions, Art Fairs,
Anecdotes, Art Quiz, Education, Mythology, 3D Images, Last Week, .

 



Founder:
Ignacio Villarreal
(1941 - 2019)
Editor & Publisher: Jose Villarreal
Art Director: Juan José Sepúlveda Ramírez
Writer: Ofelia Zurbia Betancourt

Attorneys
Truck Accident Attorneys
Accident Attorneys
Holistic Dentist
Abogado de accidentes
สล็อต
สล็อตเว็บตรง

Royalville Communications, Inc
produces:

ignaciovillarreal.org juncodelavega.com facundocabral-elfinal.org
Founder's Site. Hommage
to a Mexican poet.
Hommage
       

The First Art Newspaper on the Net. The Best Versions Of Ave Maria Song Junco de la Vega Site Ignacio Villarreal Site Parroquia Natividad del Señor
Tell a Friend
Dear User, please complete the form below in order to recommend the Artdaily newsletter to someone you know.
Please complete all fields marked *.
Sending Mail
Sending Successful