ART & PIG: A SERIE TO LOOK AT THE ANIMALS FARM LIKE WILD ONE
"In the pig everything is good", goes the saying, which Laurent would correct with "everything is beautiful" by offering the beloved and denigrated animal, as well as his fellow farm animals, a series of simple and tender black and white scenes and portraits. In keeping with his militant commitment and anti-speciesist discourse, Laurent explores a new artistic subject on the bangs of the African savannah, the plains of the American West and the frozen deserts of the Arctic.
"What I'm looking for is that furtive moment when the photograph will tell the character of the animal. Each shot is a passionate quest to capture the very essence of wildlife, to capture that fleeting moment when the animal's soul is revealed through its gaze, its posture, its gestures. It's not simply an image frozen in time, but rather a window onto a world rich in emotion and nuance.
As I've tried to do with wildlife, by eschewing naturalistic approaches and magnifying my subject, I want to demonstrate that there are no boundaries between animals." Every creature, whether wild, domestic, farmed or considered a nuisance, deserves to be honored and respected. In my photographs, I seek to transcend the artificial categories imposed by man and reveal the true nature of each individual, whatever its status.
Whether wild, pet, farmed or pest, animals remain sensitive individuals, capable of loving, hating, fearing and suffering. Every animal is a unique being, endowed with its own emotions and personality. They feel joy, pain and fear, just like we do. By recognizing their sensitivity and complexity, we come closer to them and better understand our place in the web of life.
It's human beings who create psychological barriers by naming, classifying, sorting and organizing according to their convenience and interests." The labels we attach to animals often reflect our own prejudices and selfish interests. By freeing them from these restrictive categories, we embrace a more holistic vision of life, where every living thing is an essential piece in the puzzle of existence.
In my photographs, I aim to transcend the artificial boundaries that separate us from other living beings. I want to inspire a new way of seeing and understanding the animal world, based on respect, empathy and recognition of our deep interconnectedness with all life on Earth."
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