Untitled (zebras) | 2006 | charcoal on paper | 45” x 93”
Two by two, animals are paired for breeding based on selected genetic traits. The animals in this series are portrayed in the midst of mating rituals: simultaneously intimate yet violent, their behavior satisfies their wild dispositions. Coerced by restraining devices, the animals convey the role of human intervention in nature’s course.
For this series, I researched how each species is captured in the wild and brought into captivity, which dictated the restraining devices I incorporated into several of the images. For example, when giraffes are caught in the wild, captors tape their ears and eyes to disorient them while they are transported into captivity; this is not a breeding technique, but rather a method to induce submission. When added to the posture of the mating ritual it asks us to consider the various ways that humans impact natural evolution.
