Betrayal hiding in plain sight
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Artist Statement
When I first moved to the Sunshine Coast hinterland, I noticed a nightly ritual of wild animals hysterically screeching and wailing in the surrounding forest. I assumed it was the normal primal expression of animals in the wild. After some months the screams suddenly stopped – and there was only silence. I learned the gruesome truth: that the vocal agonies were the slaughtering of many local birds and animals including the koala by the common house cat that can jump fences, climb trees and stealthily hunt, known to me all too late, to stop the killings.
Humans have an appositional relationship with Felis catus. We both defend our adored companion with a subjective heart while separating the predator with a selective intellect. I present my paintings without making moral judgements of these disparate views. The work is an ode to the lost animals, including the cat. It raises awareness of the horrific conundrum of our own making. And in this way raises awareness, provides healing and redemption to the misguided efforts of humans. The painting here is a vessel, a Trojan that carries a narrative far more serious.
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Girl with Cat,(Family) 2020, Toni Rea ©
Oil on panel
H 1220 x W 1050mm (48 x 41inches) -
Study for Girl with Cat, 2020, Toni Rea ©
Acrylic on Panel
H 625 x 750 mm (24.6 x 29.5 inches) -
Cat with Corellas, 2021, Toni Rea ©
Oil on Panel
H 1220 x 1050 mm (48 x 41 inches) -
Study for Tilted Head Cat with Bird, 2022, Toni Rea ©
Oil on panel
H 625 x W 750 mm (24.6 X 29.5 inches)