2014

“Some people talk to animals. Not many listen though. That's the problem.” A. A. Milne, Winnie the Pooh

Seraph is a work by the collective, The Peculiar Annes. It aims to engage the viewer in a dialogue that considers the human relationship with that of the non-human animal. This dialogue suggests a rethinking of the cultural positioning of animals in zoos, in testing laboratories, in agriculture as well as those in the shrinking wilderness, or deep within ourselves.

Our romantic ideal of human union with the natural world, conflicts with our contemporary exploitative and destructive relationship with the latter. Seraph explores the notion of the hybrid as a response to how animals adapt (or die) as a result of human interference. It borrows from myth, childhood stories, fables and cultural touchstones, to highlight the fact that our alliance with nature is fraught and uncomfortable.

Ultimately, Seraph, with its chimeric mingling of human and non-human animal, serves as a poignant reminder that we ourselves are also vulnerable to the destructive impact of our own actions.

About the Artist

Janet Parker-Smith is an Australian artist exhibiting her work across Australia in various galleries.

Claude Jones, originating from New Zealand, is now a Sydney based artist. She creates hybrid, mutant and anthropomorphised sculptures, prints, drawings and mixed media 2D images that question our complex and contradictory relationship with other animals. Claude Jones' website

Cleo Gardiner is an Australian artist with works in a number of collections.