(above: poster for Moggy Marks shows)
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Moggy Marks: a collaboration with cat artist Larry
‘There’s a non-human element in all great art. Art can be seen as a sort of common denominator between humans, animals and God’
(Melamid, Russian-American artist instrumental in elephant painting in Thailand).
[First moves]
Larry started interfering with an art installation that we were making. He scratched every bit of the supporting structures and we thought he might as well own the thing since he’d put his mark all over it like some sort of graffiti artist. But he was a cat, and they don’t make art, do they?
[Animal art market]
Animal art, mostly with monkeys, is a big market in America and it is no surprise that now 200 or so international cat artists are showing their wares. If they are authenticated by photographs and film (as few cats will perform directly in front of you) then prices are high – upwards of $50,000. So it’s well worth investing!
[Moggy Art]
Larry is a common moggy but maybe he could make cat art for the common cat? We set about training Larry to be a cat art superstar. We laid out traps (little gifts of food), sprinkled catnip and mixed ammonia in with the non-toxic paint (which likens it to cat pee).
The process involves more than this though; it means getting inside that furry head. Why do they purr, why do they have periods of staring at objects as though they were in a trance and why do they lie on their backs and look at things upside down?
Shows:
Here Gallery
B.R.L.S.I. Bath Royal and Scientific Institute, Queen’s Square.
Kangaroo Kourt collection
Contributors: Larry, gHOSTbOY, Pete Hunter, Tom Johnson, Robert a stray from Manchester, Artmongers and a bit of dog yoga by Tova Holmes.
