Lennette Newell’s Ani-Human Project

Wild is an adjective we often use to describe animals, reflecting the distance separating our civilized lifestyles from the outlying natural world.

In Lennette Newell‘s Ani-Human series, the gap between humans and wild animals is diminished, along with any hierarchy that has been imposed by the technology of man. The series portrays the certainty that a tranquil co-inhabitance can exist, and therefore the possibility that it could propagate.

Each subject, whether animal or human, is equal. Although the human subject could even be seen as subservient, trying to mimic the grace and physical beauty of the animal, yet imperfectly. An observation that is emphasized by the animals’ effortless elegance placed in both a man-made studio and an environmental backdrop. Together without a spatial barrier, an original relationship unfolds between the animal and the human, a peaceful coexistence that is not exploited by the somatic dominance of the animal, who could in a time period of seconds curtail the human’s life.

Snapshots of these interactions convey a joint persistence, though it is safe to say these interactions do not persist in space and time.

Lennette is represented by Elizabeth Poje. See more work from Lennette through her AtEdge portfolio and at elizabethpoje.com.