Exalted Beings: Animal Relationships

Dogs and cats. Silly pet tricks versus animal intelligence. Domesticated animals, stuffed birds and talking parrots contrasted with Buddhist states of being, biogenetic engineering and tales of animals living in houses. Popular culture, advertising, fairy tales and current events are rife with examples of the ways in which we construct intricate and often complex relationships with animals. Exalted Beings explores these psychological, spiritual and emotional bonds, and investigates the shifting power dynamics between animals and people.



The subject matter of this exhibition is not the representation of the animal, per se, but the relationship between the animal and the human in a postmodern context that acknowledges the dualities of nature and culture. In all of the artwork, the human being is either depicted or implied along side that of the animal being. And most of the animals are knowable as pets, domestic and familiar creatures, or as icons within religious systems such as Buddhism. Inevitably, each artwork reflects the value systems of the artists who are exploring animal and human relationships in the contested zones between nature and culture. 



Curated by Peter Dykhuis, the exhibition features works in a variety of media by Barbara Berry, Tonia Di Risio, Michael Fernandes, David Harper, Kelly Mark, Susan McEachern, Jan Peacock, Corinna Schnitt, William Wegman, and Mitchell Wiebe, and a work from the Gallery’s permanent collection by Jon Knowles.