Colleen Plumb

Colleen Plumb's work centers upon examining the human ambivalence towards animals, and the contradictory ways animals are woven through the fabric of American culture. Plumb's focus for the past sixteen years has been an inquiry into a society whose appetite for animals, whether in flesh or in reproduction, with admiration or obsession, is voracious.

In 1928, Henry Beston stated regarding animals in his book, The Outermost House: “They are not brethren, they are not underlings; they are other nations, caught with ourselves in the net of life and time, fellow prisoners of the splendor and travail of the earth.” Animals Are Outside Today is a journey examining underneath this net, offering us the chance to contemplate our intersections with animals and consider the multi-layered impact humans have on other living beings.

Contradictions define our relationships with animals. We love and admire them; we are entertained and fascinated by them; we take our children to watch and learn about them. Animals are embedded within core human history—evident in our stories, rituals and symbols. At the same time, we eat, wear and cage them with seeming indifference, consuming them, and their images, in countless ways.

Our connection to animals today is often developed through assimilation and appropriation; we absorb them into our lives, yet we no longer know of their origin. Most people are cut off from the steps involved in their processing or acquisition, shielded from witnessing their death or decay. This series moves within these contradictions, always questioning if the notion of the sacred, and the primal connection to Nature that animals convey and inspire, will survive alongside our evolution.

All images are available as 19 x 19", 28 x 28" and 36 x 36" pigments prints made in editions of 10, 7 and 4, respectively. Prices are $2200 (small), $2800 (medium) and $3400 (large).

Please call: (312) 266-2350 for prices of specific pieces.
Prices are print only unless otherwise indicated.