KOLLECTION KITSCH #3

Photograph of four people standing in Wunderbar's foyer, inspecting the portable art dispenser and in conversation, their side and backs turned to the viewfinder.

Together We Pet - September 2022

For the third edition, Aubane and Kyra travelled further down the kitsch road with a bold thematic choice: pets and animals. These magical creatures often serve as protagonists or messengers in the works of the selected artists, holding up a mirror to teach us lessons about our relationship with nature and what it means to be human. From personal encounters to fairy tale-like stories, the artists shared their fresh and humorous visions of their beloved animal friends. KK were happy to introduce another art theme that lost its prestige in contemporary times and has often been depreciated, as it was associated with working class aesthetics, the elderly, or women makers. Nowadays, honouring pets in an artistic way seems to be the privilege of a few people belonging to dominant social categories, and is still seen as a minor art form or a whim; especially when this fascination emerges outside of cultural elites.

Painting of a person holding up a tiger on their shoulders. A hilly jungle is represented in the background.

ARTISTS

Sand and green image with a drawing of a foot, introducing the artist Donglai Meng.

Donglai Meng (Marta)
 “
My interest originates from the study of psychoanalysis, which reveals the contradiction and split between human consciousness and subconsciousness, making me doubt the authenticity of the images we present in reality. Therefore, my artistic practice is to constantly capture and feel those unobservable inner states of human beings in different contexts, such as dreams, fantasies, hallucinations, etc. I question their significance to real life. My works are mainly installations, paintings, short stories, and videos. While exploring the inner, mental world of people, I also research the connection between actual society and human psychology. I endowed my works with fictional narrative backgrounds, just like building dreams in the real world, making them as insinuations and reflections on real problems, and trying to draw viewers’ attention to their inner experience.”

https://mengdonglai.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mengmarta/

Purple and green image with a photograph of the artist Danielle Hoogendoorn, superimposed over the image of a fox.

Danielle Hoogendoorn
“I am critical of my own species and our role in the current climate. In the new world, I create within my work, humans and animals can finally coexist in harmony. Mythological and fairy-tale-like characters are taken out of their original context. Through shape, colour and symbolism our relationship with our furry friends is investigated further.”
http://www.daniellehoogendoorn.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hoogendoorndanielle/

Green and pink image with the pink plane also depicting peels of bananas and suggestive human poses. A protrait of eth artist Alisa Osingaina is superimposed.

Alisa Osinga
…makes glazed ceramic animals and (hybrid) figures, often perceived as uncanny, or “dark”. She explores the meaning of animals in human cultures. In fairy tales, fables, dreams, movies and art they are our messengers, guides and teachers. In her work, the animals symbolise the feelings and experiences that she struggles with.

www.alisaosinga.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coco.ceramic/
https://www.instagram.com/alisaosinga/