representing animals in art
As I go through life, I always ask the question, “Where do I go to find animals?”
In the city I take notice of the pigeons, the rats and the pampered pets. I go to the Natural History Museum, the zoo and the library to see how animals are portrayed. In a supermarket I look at the fish and meat products and the pictures of animals on packets and tins. I find animal documentaries on television fascinating.
The way we understand animals, the words we have for them and our relationship with them is the focus of my work.
In the form of sculpture, performance and drawing my artwork takes a critical view of the social, political and cultural construction of the lives of animals. I am interested in the language we use to construct an understanding of an animal. My sculptures employ a variety of materials. They are illustrations of animals created through a poetic synthesis of material and language.
gallery
animal art
As an artist I work with sculptural and other art commissions, including public artworks. In 2009 I completed a commission for the Australian War Memorial and the RSPCA to design a Memorial to Animals in War. Situated in the Sculpture Garden at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra it is an official recognition of the sacrifice’s animals have made in Australian warfare.
A subsequent piece dedicated to the Military Working Dogs was completed in 2020.
Both can be viewed on the Commissions Gallery page.
snakes & serpents
I study snakes as a symbol of a vast range of human attributes and, as a consequence, how snakes are misunderstood.
thoughtful creative works
I depict animal life as imparting a greater understanding on all life and death.
Global since 1990
I have been a professional artist available for commissions since 1990.
contact me for commission enquiries
Steven Mark Holland