Los Angeles-based artist Victoria Reynolds has a particular fascination with the creation, formation and animation of flesh. In order to make images with a "living presence," her carefully rendered drawings and paintings have an almost palpable--albeit somewhat gruesome--quality.
Reynolds’ latest works include organic reindeer imagery and are the result of a visit to a Lapp reindeer slaughterhouse. Examining the distinction between flesh and meat, her drawings and oil paintings embody the ancient Venetian art of painting flesh and the Dutch vanitas style of still life paintings.
The Saami people rely heavily on reindeer for their survival, and revere the animal so much as to even put bits of reindeer into their coffee.
What's Driving This Trend
- Rendering Flesh Art
- Opportunity to explore the intersection of art and the human body through the creation of visually striking and thought-provoking images of flesh.
- Exploring Meat in Art
- Chance to challenge societal perceptions of meat consumption and its implications by incorporating elements of slaughterhouses and vanitas still life in artwork.
- Reimagining Animal Symbolism
- Potential to redefine the symbolic significance of animals such as reindeer and explore the relationship between humans and animals in contemporary art.
Who This Affects Most
- Fine Arts
- Innovation in artistic techniques and subject matter within the fine arts industry, specifically in the realm of flesh-based artwork.
- Meat Processing
- Opportunity for the meat processing industry to explore new ways of representing their products through collaborations with artists.
- Animal Conservation
- Exploring the potential for art to raise awareness and foster conversations about the role of animals in society, including ethical considerations and sustainability.
