Menagerie
new work by Saratops McDonald
“Menagerie” is a new body of work by Saratops McDonald showcasing rawhide as the primary medium. An eclectic collection of cat skulls, bones, human figures, and empty black hole voids, all executed through a combination of sculpture, painting and drawing. In many ways the materials themselves have become the guide for this new body of work. Rather than asking “I have an idea, now how can I create it?” she explores the process of asking “I have a material, now what can be done with it?” Form before function.
Rawhide is the untreated skin of an animal which hardens and shrinks immensely as it dries. It’s inherent properties as skin make it exceptionally resilient and strong enough to bend metal or break bone. In times past these attributes were often used for purposes of torture and even execution. It is a material which doesn’t give way easily, denying simple manipulations, refusing to conform with ease and curing in unpredictable ways.
This show is a challenge accepted.