Exhibition offers insight into animal expression

A new public exhibition at Sheffield Hallam University gives visitors a unique insight into human-animal interaction, through a range of different artistic media.

The Animal Gaze Returned, jointly organised by the University of Sheffield and Sheffield Hallam University, invites visitors to examine how humans and animals interact with each other, and question how animals are traditionally represented in art.

The exhibition runs from 2 August to 2 September at the Sheffield Institute of Arts gallery at Sheffield Hallam. It features work from a range of contemporary artists, all of which challenges traditional artistic representations of animals as objects of decoration and status.

Chloë Brown, senior lecturer in fine art at Sheffield Hallam, has co-curated the exhibition with Dr Robert McKay, lecturer in English literature at the University of Sheffield and Rosie McGoldrick from London Metropolitan University.

Chloë said: "This exhibition explores the way humans look at animals, how animals return that look, and how this shapes human interactions with animals. Ultimately it's about how people connect, and often don’t connect, with other beings.

"It also questions the conventions of anthropomorphism in fine art, through a wide variety of media – from painting, video and photography, to sculpture, taxidermy and performance."

The Animal Gaze Returned runs from 2 August to 2 September 2013 at Sheffield Institute of Arts Gallery, Cantor Building, Sheffield Hallam University, Arundel Street, Sheffield.

For press information: contact Joe Field in the Sheffield Hallam University press office on 0114 225 2074 or email j.field@shu.ac.uk

Main image shows 'In Ictu Oculi', by Greta Alfaro