Hartmut Kiewert

In 2008 I started to deal with a critical reflection of the human animal relationship, especially the relationship to those animals we use to eat. As animals were always present in the history of painting, I thought paint and canvas could be a good field to negotiate the position humans put animals into. First my approach was to make the animals behind the animal-products like meat, cheese and eggs visible again. For instance by reconnecting...

In 2008 I started to deal with a critical reflection of the human animal relationship, especially the relationship to those animals we use to eat. As animals were always present in the history of painting, I thought paint and canvas could be a good field to negotiate the position humans put animals into. First my approach was to make the animals behind the animal-products like meat, cheese and eggs visible again. For instance by reconnecting their bodies to the products that was made out of them. Now my imagery is basically about scenarios where so called »farm animals« are shifted out of their human made structures of exploitation into everyday living spaces of our cities, parks and homes. The utopia of a world in which humans do not see animals as commodities or mere instruments for their purposes, but as related and respect animals as individuals for their own sake.