Ashes and Snow

What are some of the themes that the artist attempts to represent in his works?

The artist is trying to convey a message about the relationships between humans and animals. Some of his pictures might actually be more of an idea of he has of how humans and animals should relate. There is the sense that humans and animals could be closer to one another and eliminate any fear that might stand between them getting to know one another. The picture of the cheetah and the boy is a perfect example of how the artist is trying to say that there is no need to fear one another. I thought it was interesting that in pictures with the elephants the boys are wearing robes, but the boy in the picture with the cheetah is only wearing a small covering. You’d thin the boy with the cheetah would need more protection from clothing but the artist did an amazing job of conveying that the boy could be safe even if he was practically naked.

Is the artist attempting to document the interactions between humans and animals? If so, would you consider these documents similar to a snapshot, or does the artist attempt to romanticize the relationships? Why?

The artist really romanticizes the relationships between humans and animals. Very few of the pictures send natural, but mostly because the subjects were usually stationary. At the end of the exhibits there was more movement, as in the picture with the woman and the birds, but for the most part the pictures seemed almost posed. For what the artist was trying to create, there didn’t need to be a lot of action and the pictures really conveyed the idea that these animals and humans were comfortable around one another.

What are some of the ideological references implicit in the art, such as race, class, settings, etc?

I don’t think there were too many ideological references in the art. There were multiple races, but the class was indistinguishable and the setting was the same.

After typing that, maybe that’s an ideological reference -- all classes together and bound together despite differences in class.

How do you think the formal stylistic techniques help convey the art’s meaning? Is it ever confusing? If so, how?

The style of the art makes it feel like the artist is trying to really force these ideas. The repetitive style and color unite all of the pictures in conveying the artists’ meaning. He wants his pictures and videos to convey the same meaning and promote unity between animals and humans.

Please site any references in the exhibition of work you have seen before. Does any of this look familiar?

I’ve never seen an exhibition like this before. Another first for me was the use of video and photography together. I really enjoyed the video of the man swimming with the elephant. If you watched carefully, the man never lets out air bubbles. I had noticed that after a few minutes of watching him swim and I watched for a while just waiting for hi to let out a big air bubble, but he never did. That is an amazing detail that made him really seem like an underwater creature as he swam with the elephant.