Karmen Fong No inhibitions

The dog has long been a symbol of fidelity and guardianship. But take away the carefully constructed layers of meaning and what remains is a spirit that cannot be defined nor inhibited. My work asks ‘What is the dog?’ and aims to break the tradition of representing this age-old species symbolically. The audience can take each panel at face value. Here, the dog is a dog: in control of its own space. Surrounded by an ambiguous atmosphere of unrepeatable marks, it displays the instincts that drive it to be nothing more than canis familiaris.

Influencing artists: Deborah Williams, William Kentridge, Helen Fay, Bridget Farmer