Better Living consists of a series of enlarged (28”x42”), plexi-mounted colour photographs depicting pet animals - a rabbit, a cat and a Chinese hen - caught in the act of “shopping”, in “store” settings constructed with readymade and my handmade miniature life style objects.  In one setting, the animals and small potted-plants are staged as if they are at an outdoor nursery. Other indoor settings show the same animals contemplating ceramics or gathering around a set of furniture, and often resulting in some sort of mischief.  In the installation, the miniature objects (ceramics, furniture, and live plants) were displayed in 3 vitrines, accompanying the photographs on the surrounding walls.  The images in these photographs may inevitably suggest a sense of cynicism about the human obsession with materially promoted notions of “better living” or “quality of life”.  Or they may simply come across as cute amateur photos of pet animals. Upon closer inspection however, the ridiculous or haphazard props used in these settings, as well as the awkward and somewhat surreal orchestration of my collaborators may reveal my quaint “artist” lifestyle and an obsession to (art)-“making” as one of my daily endeavours -- like shopping.

You can see these animal friends on their shopping spree in the one minute video Better Living Director's Cut

exhibition history:
Canadian Embassy Gallery, Tokyo, Japan 2008
Art Gallery of Windsor 2006