Linda Leon’s newest exhibition, Wild in the City, is an exploration of the relationship between animals and urban centres.
“I’ve lived most of my life in large cities,” said Leon. “Urban centres contain another parallel, world inhabited by animals. Sometimes we put them in zoos to contain them, or confine them in our homes. Humans have always tried to control what might be too wild otherwise. Wild is a threat. I think that that is why we gathered in cities in the first place. And maybe to keep the other, wild part of ourselves contained too.
“I’ve always noticed and been intrigued by animals. They continue to be a subject of my art practice. In Beijing, an impossibly polluted place, you can see sparrows. How miraculous!”
Wild in the City consists of 12 new works, featuring multi-media drawings, pastel drawings on paper and acrylic paintings. Horses, cats, monkeys and gibbons all make an appearance in Leon’s work.
“I hope the audience will go away intrigued, thoughtful about our place in the animal world and, perhaps, with a higher regard for their house cats,” said Leon.
Wild in the City runs from Feb. 7 to March 1 at Yukon Artists @ Work Gallery, located at 4129 4 Ave. The show opens with a reception on Feb. 7, from 5 to 7:30 p.m.
