There's a unique opportunity to experience some of the wildlife from Taronga Western Plains Zoo through the artistic lens of Dubbo-based visual artist Jack Randell, in his new exhibition at the Western Plains Cultural Centre (WPCC).
Animal Studies is curated by Dr Andrew Frost and presents a diverse range of materials to explore animals from around the world, as featured at Dubbo's own zoo.
"What do animals see when they look at us?" said WPCC Exhibition and Curator Officer Kent Buchanan. "Jack Randell has pondered this question whilst creating these lyrical and gestural works, imbuing them with an unspoken dialogue that has fascinated humans for millennia.
"His deft use of a range of materials reveals an artist at the top of his game. Time spent at Taronga Western Plains Zoo has afforded Mr Randell the opportunity to engage with a diverse array of animals, in a setting that encourages to look, and conversely, be seen."
Mr Randell is a well-known visual artist who has exhibited in Japan and Spain as well as across Australia.
"In these pictures I am considering an animal's self-awareness through its shape, its body form," he said. "By how a body appears – tall, wide, agile, feathered or furred. These things will determine its capacity, as well as its experiences. Agency and subjectivity. This is what we share with other sentient beings, the perception of, and action on the sensation of being.
"That intriguing intersection between feeling and doing, sensing and acting, a sense of self, an awareness of something that seems like belonging. And so, we all belong."
Animal Studies opens at 6pm on Friday 11 February. Unfortunately the Official Opening event has sold out, however, an artist talk will be held at 11am on Saturday 12 February with Mr Randell, Dr Frost and veterinarian Benn Bryant. You can register attendance at the event listing Artist Talk: Jack Randell - Animal Studies
