Trophies

This series examines the cruelty of an unfair and untimely death while questioning the role of man versus animal. Why does man kill wonderful creatures that neither threaten him nor provide him sustenance? Hunting for show tells us of man's desire to prove his power by ending the lives of exotic and rare creatures. Man has forced death upon these creatures, and yet cannot avoid his own inevitable death. The photographs explore the existence of creatures killed for show. I capture their tragic story of innocence, anger, and fear through the expressions forced upon them by taxidermists. The animals emerge from a large black void that symbolizes death and forces us to imagine their missing bodies. They are again hunted, but this time are given another existence. Within each photograph, the animals seem to speak to us; some are vengeful while others are majestic and even calm. Christine Owen www.christineowenart.com