Inhospitably Ours

Wildlife photography is a medium that I struggle with ethically, yet it is the format of a large portion of my practice. This medium is a parasitic relationship in which only I am benefiting. As I deal a fair amount with wildlife and seeking out remote spaces, I am conflicted with the impact I have on the environment and the imposition and appropriation I am inflicting on these animals. I explore surface encounters and conceptual rationales questioning what is real. Something that I have been getting for years from viewers of my work is: “is that real”. This initial response is perfect for opening up dialogue. I am a conservationist so I construct commentaries on animal rights, habitat loss and the flux of human intervention. Visually I channel nuances of the surreal in my work and am heavily influenced by photo montage. All of this is circling back to notions of reality and the impact of our subjective reality in an inhospitable world.