SOLO EXHIBITION
OPENING EVENT WEBB GALLERY, SOUTHBANK, Fri June 16, 6 – 8pm
Continues until June 30, 2017 open 10 – 4pm Tues – Sat
Photos by Jonathan Tse
There are many animals, who, though far from being large, are yet capable of raising ideas of the sublime,
because they are considered as objects of terror.
As serpents and poisonous animals of almost all kinds.
And to things of great dimensions, if we annex an adventitious idea of terror, they become without comparison greater – Edmond Burke 1757
Exhibition Rationale:
My current art practise and research is primarily focussed on exploring concepts surrounding ‘Zoonoses’.
The minimus exhibition is my first foray into sculptural/installation work and has a specific focus on the role of tiny zoonotic hosts such as mosquitos and fleas, both capable of causing mass destruction.
The work created for minimus is my response to Edmund Burke’s quote (above), exploring extemities in size and scale. Historically plague infected fleas have been responsible for the loss of an estimated 75 million lives. During World War 11 plague fleas were used as weapons of war. Worldwide, the World Health Organization reports there are still between 1,000 – 3,000 cases of plague each year. The mosquito is regarded as the most deadly animal in the world. According to the World Health Organization, mosquito bites result in the deaths of more than 1 million people every year.