The various mythologies have told us countless stories involving human-animal hybrids. Over time, artists have taken liberties in interpreting the form of these creatures, but Kate Clark decided to invert the formula, so that all the animals she has worked with possess human faces. The result is a strange and disturbing fusion between man and animal that for some reason is almost impossible to stop looking at.
We can say with some certainty that hybrid creatures are experiencing one of their moments of greatest popularity, courtesy of the film The Shape of Water, which promises to be the big winner at the Oscars ceremony next Sunday. However, that film offers a romantic and optimistic vision. The work of artist Kate Clark pushes other buttons that are not necessarily compatible with her official description. Clark presents the human faces in her works as "calm, dignified, and majestic", which in turn highlight "the animalistic heritage of the human condition". While I acknowledge Clark's skill at creating human faces with animal skin, I am afraid I do not share her point of view, and I would not like to encounter something like that in a dark room...
Gallery
