Picture Perfect: Artists Speak Up for Animal Rights
There’s a lot of truth in the old maxim that a picture is worth a thousand words – and that’s certainly true of the work of these artists in Australia and around the world who are using their talents to speak up for animals. Check them out.
Jo Frederiks
Adept at working in a number of mediums, Frederiks grew up on a cattle station in Queensland. The experience fostered her love of animals and her determination to show their vulnerability at the hands of humans.
Dana Ellyn
This Washington, DC, artist paints with a purpose – to deliver “hard slaps” to social norms and myths of all kinds. A bold vision and strong content colour her critiques.
Roa
He’s a muralist from Belgium, but that’s about all that’s known about Roa, who works under a pseudonym. His murals say plenty, though. The animals depicted are usually indigenous to where he is when he’s painting.
Jeannine Tan
Based in Melbourne, Tan is a freelance photographer who points her camera at everything, everywhere. In addition to portraits of animal companions, coverage of activism events and images of crave-worthy vegan food, she also shoots travel features, fashion, and even weddings.
Sue Coe
Coe calls herself a “graphic witness” – a journalist who favours the printed image over words. She tackles topics that many people would rather ignore, such as factory farming and meat packing.
Banksy
The work of British guerrilla artist Banksy can’t be ignored. Calling attention to the plight of animals in circuses, highlighting the hypocrisy of calling some animals “pets” and others “food”, and taking aim at KFC, Banksy has repeatedly shone a bright light on animal abuse.
Tamara Kenneally
Kenneally, who works in Victoria, started taking photographs of her dog when she was 11. Today, she tells the stories of animals living in a human world. Her goal? For people to take away a message of compassion and respect.
Dan Witz
Working in the studio and on the street, Witz, who studied at the prestigious Rhode Island School of Design in the US, has had his work shown at the Museum of Modern Art in New York and featured in publications such as Time magazine. In 2015, he teamed up with PETA US to install images across the city of Washington, D.C., to draw attention to the plight of baby monkeys subjected to cruel psychological experiments at NIH.
Jackson Thilenius
An artist and architect living in Southern California, Thilenius describes himself as a visionary, rebel, and idealist. His work backs that up – and then some.
Vegan Sidekick
British artist Vegan Sidekick has a huge social media following for his satirical comics which point out the absurdity of defending animal abuse. The “Personal Interests” section of his Facebook page reads: “Not killing animals. I love not killing animals. I could do it all day.”
Roma Velarde
Velarde is based in Seville, Spain. A graduate of the University of Seville, she’s taken her talents to vegan fairs in Spain and Germany and the NOcageArtFest in France.
Jo-Anne McArthur
The award-winning photojournalist has been documenting the plight of animals on every continent for more than a decade. A native of Toronto, she also created the We Animals project.
Raj Singh Tattal
Here’s what we know: Tattal is an East London freelance artist who specialises in black-and-white, “realistic” graphite and pencil drawings. You can learn more about him from his artwork.
Liu Qiang
Chinese artist Liu Qiang is most famous for this sculpture, which reportedly took him eight months working 15 hours a day to perfect. What an effective way to highlight the bizarre practice of drinking milk from a cow.
Mark Cawood
This British artist has a particular interest in animal welfare and environmental issues, as evidenced by his thought-provoking paintings which can’t help but make the viewer reflect on society’s treatment of animals.
Gary Sheppard
A Sydney-based photographer, Sheppard works mainly throughout Australasia. His 2016 “I Am Someone” exhibition, a collaboration with Where Pigs Fly Farm Sanctuary, features a series of rescued animal portraits, highlighting the intelligence and emotional depth found in all animals – human and non-human.
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