:Exhibitions:
Highschool Art Exhibition
I have been living with cats my whole life; grieving over cats I barely knew, choosing our next cats, seeing neighborhood cats come and go, and watching a cat grow old. Although nothing awe-inspiring about my interactions, reflecting on these events made me realize how much cats have impacted my life, and the role they have played in history. Since the beginning of domesticating cats, humans’ relationship with cats has changed drastically. Cats were our divine beings, our adapted hunters, our specimens, parodies of ourselves, our fears, and our comforts. The selected works explore these concepts and relationships, connecting the audiences with the role that cats have. My vision for this exhibition is to be my directed journey on the issues and concepts of cats that have impacted human society.
In my exhibition each artwork explores different aspects of cats and our relationship with them. “ History” a digital series illustrates the different stages of the domestication of cats, and their relationship with humans. The motif of trees and roots guide the viewer through the timeline, while also marking each era with different symbols of its time. The roots and trees are symbolic of the family trees of domesticated cats and their lineage. Other symbols like the small animals, are symbolic of the cat’s hunter instincts.
“Purr” is one of my interactive pieces, welcoming the viewer to pet and interact with the piece with a small sign informing the viewer that it is safe to touch. “ Purr” evokes the soft comforting aspects of cats, welcoming viewers to experience and pet the cat, creating a sensory experience. The fur material is used to mimic the texture of cat fur while also allowing the viewer to get a positive emotion from petting the cat. The repeated purring also plays a role matching the animation of the cat breathing, creating a life like experience that draws the viewer in. “ The Great Wave of Meow” and “ What Test About Meow?” both take on the humorous aspects of cats, using parody to communicate the portrayal of cats in modern media. “ Great Wave of Meow ” a parody on the famous “ Great Waves of Kanagawa” by Katsushika Hokusai, is at first silly and cute, but upon deeper inspection presents the complexity of parodies and the use of cats. The “ What Test About Meow?” mimics the personification that the artist Louis Wain used in his theatrical works, to parody three student’s lives, bringing humor and a narrative into the mundane. “ Crowned” the only sculptural piece offers a change from the mostly digital works, allowing the viewer to see into my personal relationship with my cat. A printed 3D model of a crown with small painted fish detailing. The plants, each created with twisted wires, are designed to have a delicate look, making the artwork feel the same amount of royalty that my family and it treat our cats like.
The exhibition is arranged so each artwork is chronologically aligned with the stages depicted in “ History”. “History” acts as the spine of my exhibition, being placed above the other artworks, guiding the viewer through the other concepts. The viewer travels through the concepts that significantly impacted the human race from left to right, creating the detailed narrative of the historical and modern impacts of cats. Every other piece aligns to fit in this rough timeline, expanding on the relationship between humans and cats in each stage. Some of the artworks are placed together, such as “King” and “Crowned”. Both share the concept of artifact and purpose, when studying ancient Egyptian art, “Crowned” being the artifact and “king” being the purpose of that artifact. “ Crowned” is also placed in the middle on a pedestal, as my own cat was a great inspiration for my exhibition and the centerpiece of my experiences with cats. As the viewer walks through my exhibition, they will see “ Purr” before they leave. Leaving the viewer with the lasting impression of what cats means to me.
From my experience and love of my own cats, I want the viewer to leave with a greater understanding of cats through a historical and modern lens.
Sources:
Katsushika, Hokusai. Under the Wave off Kanagawa. 1830–32, Woodblock print; ink and color on paper, (25.7 x 37.9 cm), The Metropolitan Museum of Art, metmuseum.com, https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/45434 date accessed: 21/3/22.
History (Series)
Digital Illustration (Krita)
Right to left, (25.4 by 38.1, 25.4 by 29.21, 25.4 by 38.1, 25.4 by 25.4, and 25.4 by 38.1) cm
Acting as one of the spines of my exhibition, this piece dives into the journey of our relationship with the wonderful household cats, through the various major events from the domestication history of the house cat. From wild deadly hunters, to our traveling pest control, to the messengers of the gods, to our Barnhouse accessories, and to the internet sensation. All sprouts off a long branch of the tree of life and our ever changing relationship of ability, hate, admiration, and mutual respect.
Pure Superstitions
Digital Illustration (Krita)
22.86 by 38.1 cm
The superstitions around black cats have many historical origins. Since then black cats have been associated with death, the bubonic plague in Europe, and the supernatural. Each of these associations are shown through the set of upper icons. The eight like shape of the artwork itself is important, showing the contrast of human superstitions against the true nature of cats. With the cat and its “true form” meeting in the middle. The icons in the bottom symbolize the true nature of cats.
Orange Tabby
Mixed Media, Watercolor, Acrylic paint and digital addons (Krita)
33.02 by 43.18 cm
A step into the scientific world of cats allows the viewer to see past the colorful tiger orange fur and green enchanting eyes, to see and appreciate the biology and scientific aspects of a cat. The cat itself is modeled after my neighbor’s cat, Kiki. For the fur, I used layers of watercolor building up the shadows and highlights of fur. The key and the annotation draws the viewer back to the purpose of the scientific illustration, to represent the cat in the most scientific way possible.
The Great Purr of Meow
Digital Illustration (Krita)
21.59 by 29.21 cm
This piece is a parody of the print “The Great Wave off Kanagawa” by Katsushika Hokusai. The thicker outlines give the piece a playfully fun tone, while the lack of shading lets the layers of colors create contrast between the levels of the piece. The use of colors reflect that of the original piece, sharing the same stillness as the original. The extensive and recurring motif of cats, allows the viewer to connect and weave a small narrative while also allowing them to see new cats every time.
King
Photography
10.16 x by 11.43, looking out 10.16 by 15.24, crown 10.16 by 13.66 cm
These three photos each staged and time to showcase my cat wearing his crown. Each photo is edited to mimic the dramatic contrasting lighting seen in royal portraits. The lighting shines from the right, creating flow between each of the photos directing the eyes to flow to the right. My cat is facing the right and towards the light, symbolism as a being of royalty and comfort to me. In all of the photos, the crown from “Crowned” is present. Connecting the artifact, the crown, to its purpose.
Crowned
Mixed media, 3D printed Sculpture ( created in Blender and Fusion 360), Printed on Flash Printer 3d printed) wires and paint.
height: 7 cm, diameter: 15 cm
I wanted to create a crown that would honor my cat Obi, and symbolize the luxury that he has because of my family. In my family, we treat our cats like royalty, which is shown through the purpose of his crown made to be worn by my cat. The Salmon details represent my cat’s favorite fish to eat, while the paws represent the many opportunities that he has compared to other cats, and an attribute that my family adores about him. The five unique green plants are symbolic of our house, and the wealth Obi has.
That Test About the Town of Meow?
Digital Illustration (Krita)
33.02 by 38.1 cm
This piece marks an era of our representation of cats in our media. Inspired by Louis Wain’s works, this piece takes a theatrical scene of three cat students. The students wear Edwardian style clothing from both genders, while using modern technology. This is symbolic of an era that started in the 20th century with cats being featured in similar ways, and continues today. The scene is littered with symbols, and other themed objects, weaving the slice of life narrative of the three students.
A Hunter’s Responsibility
Digital Illustration, (Krita), red Leash, printed digital illustrations ( Krita) of birds
Base Illustration 57.15 by 76.2, birds: 4.5 by 12,14.4 by 11.8 , and 12.1 by 11.6, Leash: 178.5 long cm
Cats are one of the most dangerous pets to wild birds. The issue with cats and the hunting of birds is a large and difficult task to solve, but the actions of individual cat owners can both worsen or help solve the issue. The ghost birds are bird species that have gone extinct due to cats. The birds hanging on the leash, are bird species that are endangered and still savable, if the viewer steps up to the responsibility of making sure their pet doesn’t have a harmful impact to the environment.
Purrs
Digital Animation (Krita) mp4 (Imovie), canvas and fur.
60.9 by 91.4 cm, Looping video 9 second
My cat’s cuddles have always been a source of comfort in my life; something that I want to share with the viewer. This animation is an Interactive Sensory based artwork that invites the viewer to touch and feel the soft texture of the fur covered canvas. The animated cat mimics my own, using sound samples from my own cat to create the purring sounds. The dark blue colors emphasize the cat and the calm tone. The messy brush work mimics my cat’s fur, as well making the whole scene feel soft.