Linda Hall
Florida
Artist Statement Submitted 2019
It is a mystery to me why I am repeatedly compelled to combine what is human and what is animal in the same space, place or form. My work is a manifestation of this search. I seek to understand the complicated and ultimately unanswerable question of who we are as human beings, as animals and the broad spectrum of what we are capable of.I am fascinated by how this relationship reveals itself in fairy tales, medieval bestiaries, in re-wilding studies of extinct animals, and in our current environmental crisis.
It seems that as humans evolve, we are increasingly disconnected from or in conflict with nature. My artwork is a playful and poignant way of reconnecting this separation. The art is an invitation to a sacrament not unlike ancient rituals where a human assumes the spirit of the animal by wearing its skin to understand its power and its plight.
