NEWS
March 2007
The Loop Art by Wesley Gunter in Houston Modern
Luxury, p. 78.
In case this month's Livestock Show and Rodeo has revved up your
animal instincts, local artist Allison Hunter may have some work
you should see. Her new photography series, which has already generated
quite the buzz among art and animals lovers in New York, provides
a unique perspective on our four-legged friends. MKG
Art Management (2825 Colquitt St, 713.526.4146) will offer a
glimpse of this new collection, titled Allison Hunter: New Animals,
from March 24-Aug. 17.
Hunter's interest in animals began when her husband Cary
Wolfe, an English professor at Rice University, began writing
a book on animals and how we relate to them. After numerous trips
to a petting zoo in New York, she decided to explore her own take
on the human-animal dynamic through photography. "I really
wanted to represent animals in a new way by taking control of the
photograph and making a statement," she says. "I think
it's hard to look at my work and just see the animals. There's a
whole construction that takes place."
What makes Hunter's work so impressive is the harmony of background
color and marginal animal presence. She photographs animals in captive
settings and, using digital technology, merges the dominant tones
of the background to create a uniform earthy color. This gives the
illusion of the animal being alone in space, as if on an empty stage.
"I think there is a cinematic quality to my work," she
notes. "I create dramatic tension by the way the animals are
positioned within the frame
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my movie."
Unlike many local artists, Hunter achieved notoriety in New
York and Europe before moving to Houston. MKG senior associate
Janet Phelps, who helped plan Hunter's foray into the Houston
art scene, believes her work will attract a broad audience.
"Her images have something that will appeal to everyone,
even people who know nothing about art," says Phelps.
"At the same time there's a subtle sophistication that
works on a much higher level."
From a collector's point of view, there is something immediately
enchanting about Hunter's animals. Mark Horn, co-owner of
Solution salon, was among the first in Houston to purchase
some of her work. "The animals have a definite human-like
quality," he says appreciatively. "There's a sense
of loneliness and isolation that we can all identify with,
but at the same time there is this incredible sweetness."
He also notes that leaving the works untitled allows the viewer
to interpret the animals in his or her own way, without the
forced constraints of a label.
In the future, Hunter plans to continue the animal series
but on a grander scale. She recently received an individual
artist's grant from the Houston Arts Alliance to create mural-sized
photographs based on her previous animal series, Simply Stunning.
"I'm excited to experiment with a larger scale,"
she says. "There will be a more complex narrative, unfolding
in space, like a medieval tapestry."
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