I discovered the work of Kelly Hussey-Smith when I happened upon a piece of information about her exhibition Caged & Consumed with artist Erin Burnett at Obscura Gallery in Melbourne, Australia. The show was an exploration of the relationship between humans and other animals, particularly how they are used for entertainment and food.
I love the drama of the Caged images, and the humor and sadness of the pictures in In Disguise. I’m partial to photographs from zoos and how they can reflect in a number of ways the duplicity of the zoo-visiting experience itself, reconciling the excitement of seeing the animals with the oftentimes discomfort of their condition, etc. I think adding humor allows the viewer to see the ridiculousness in what we do to display animals for human audiences (that turtle’s exhibit is a wishing well!).
From “Caged”
From “In Disguise”
Visit artist's site: kellyhusseysmith.com
Posted March 7th, 2013
