THE ANIMAL GAZE
Contemporary Art and Animal/Human Studies

An international exhibition of video, film,
sculpture, drawing, performance, installation and photography

18 November - 13 December 2008
Opening View: Thursday 20 November, 5.30-8.30pm

“The uproar over any artist whose work offends animal-lovers demonstrates just how volatile a forum contemporary art is for communicating attitudes about animals. If a picture's really worth a thousand words, let's get that picture right.”
Rosemarie McGoldrick- curator of exhibition

According to a 1998 survey by the American Museum of Natural History, 70% of biologists view the present era as part of a mass extinction event, possibly one of the fastest ever. At the same time, we humans farm and kill an extraordinary 50 billion individual animals a year as a food source, all from a small pool of about 30 species.

Such statistics about animals have been understood for a generation, and over the same period, a new discipline of animal/human studies has flourished in the universities. Many contemporary artists approach animals as a subject from exactly this background.

'The Animal Gaze' has been curated by artist Rosemarie McGoldrick and is presented across several venues at London Metropolitan University (LMU) including Unit 2 Gallery, Foyer Gallery, Unit 6, the Project Room and Metropolitan Works Showroom. The exhibition features over 40 international artists, including Mircea Cantor, Marcus Coates, Jo Longhurst and Snaebjornsdottir/Wilson.

Also at the Animal Gaze, the artist and dairy hygiene inspector Martin White will install a glass-fronted chill cabinet containing cheeses on plates in slatted, shelved compartments, made from the milk of different animals - goat, cow, sheep, buffalo and human - a contemporary allegory on animal product, indeed zoos. Artist Miranda Whall will exhibit watercolour animations of garden birds and masturbation, while Aurelia Mihai shows a voyeurist video of humans before and after the slaughter of a goat for meat (no killing is shown).

Coinciding with this exhibition is a two-day ‘The Animal Gaze: Contemporary Art & Animal/Human Studies’ at LMU (20-21 November 2008) featuring a keynote address by Steve Baker, author of ‘’The Postmodern Animal’ and ‘Picturing the Beast’. Other speakers include the zoosemiotician, Dario Martinelli and Dr Matthew Fuller (Reader in Digital Media at Goldsmiths College) who will examine art ‘made’ specifically for animals. Moving away from deep ecology and the animal rights debate, delegates to the symposium will consider the ways in which animals appear in art today.

Exhibition: The Animal Gaze, Contemporary Art & Animal/Human Studies
Artist: 40 International artists
Opening Times: Tuesday - Friday 12 - 6pm and Saturday 1- 6pm
Except Metropolitan Works which is open by appointment.
Contact Rosemarie McGoldrick on 07914785843
Admission: Free

For further details on the two-day symposium and a booking form please visit www.animalgaze.org
Tickets cost £120 for the full programme (concessions are available).
Symposium contact: r.mcgoldrick@londonmet.ac.uk or +44 (0) 20 7320 1921

Unit 2 Gallery, London Metropolitan University, Central House, 59-63 Whitechapel High Street, London E1 7PF
Tel 020 7320 1948/1970   Fax 020 7320 1928   info@unit2.co.uk