Beast

Beast

25 March 2009

Dido Crosby - sculptures
Dominique Leblanc - paintings
Stuart Redler - photographs

Zebus, orangutans, a boar and other beasts will inhabit jaggedart during March and April.

Dido Crosby translates into bronze the essence of each animal: a black pug sits lazily in a corner waiting to be stroked, while a raven caws in defiance. Her white patina finish gazelle looks almost as delicate as porcelain, whilst her sitting boar appears to have just enjoyed a feast. Her animals are beautiful and real, yet with a hint of danger, nevertheless, they always invite the spectator to stroke them and enjoy their physicality. Dido read Zoology in Oxford and trained in sculpture at Central Saint Martin's School of Arts, London.

An orangutan stares at us from the midst of a white canvas. Dominique Leblanc's exquisite paintings depict animals in an unconventional way. Floating on a white background, they eye us with curiosity: their fur or eyes merge with the canvas. For Leblanc the image itself is only the starting point: be it an otter or a monkey, a dog or a seal, the work is about the process of painting and painting itself. Dominique Leblanc trained at the École des Beaux Arts in Le Mans, France and lives and works in Hyéres.

Stuart Redler captures wild animals in his spectacular black and white photographs. A pack of hippos pose peacefully in front of his camera, whilst a herd of zebus gaze, unflinching, at us; a Dalmatian merges with the surrounding snow. Stuart's photographs are beautifully toned and printed on watercolour paper which gives them a soft texture, becoming almost charcoal drawings. Yet the character of the animals is still strong in the images, such as the nonchalantly chewing llama. Redler has received many awards, including six from the Association of Photographers, who awarded him a Gold Medal in 2000 for his portfolio of Architectural Images. He has also received Graphis, PDN New York and Communication Arts Awards, amongst others.