JONI-LEIGH Doran’s body of work highlights the enduring but complex relationship between horses and humans, in an exhibition at La Galleria in McGregor until February 13, 2022.
In these paintings, the spectral representation of the horse presents a species with a long and interconnected relationship with humans, sometimes to the point of holy divinity. The horse’s long service to humanity, and their deep awareness and understanding of a species other than themselves, is one humans can only aspire to; and ye, humans have, since the beginning, subjected billions of horses to untold horrors and murderous exploitation.
The ghostlike form of various horses in these paintings is both a testament to those that have suffered and died as well as our sanctification of them and our admiration of their deep powers of intuition and knowledge that rises far beyond the cognitive abilities of our own species.
“These paintings are an enquiry into the spirit of the horse, and the deep and historical interconnectedness between us and them. The ephemeral portrayal of them in these works accentuates the opposing circumstances that horses currently face in cohabitation with humans – transcendence and tribulation,” says Doran.
Visit the event page for all the details of the exhibition and register to receive the catalogue.
Joni-Leigh Doran
La Galleria
