Erica Gajewski

Region: South

My work documents the loss of animal species and records the last vestiges of their lives. The specific animals I focus on are endemic to Canada, the country of my citizenship, the issues surrounding their erasure however are global and affect all life, regardless of national boundaries. As themes depicted by humans in early cave paintings animals have provided a context from which we have come to define ourselves. Reflected in the history of art is the changing relationship between humans and other animals, from magical integration to balanced existence, subjugation, exploitation, and the current view, that of sentimental attachment and marginalization. It is each specific animal that a work commemorates, that I honor, that I want people to see and to remember.