Artsy Ferret

Tamara Kostianovsky “Actus Reus” @ Black & White Gallery

Tamara Kostianovsky, Bound (2007) via Black & White Gallery

Tamara Kostianovsky’s debut solo show at Black & White Gallery was part of The Proper Animal composed of 3 solo exhibitions. The artists in this show use highly disturbing animal iconography which invokes ethical reasoning.  Her exhibit ran from April 17 - May 24. Sadly Artsy missed it but was lucky enough to read and learn about it from we make money not art. A great site and totally worth checking out.

Abacus (2008) via Tamara Kostianovsky

“Actus Reus” - called external elements of crime is the Latin term for “guilty act”. When combined with mens rea “guilty mind”, produces criminal liability in common based criminal law. (think legally blonde 1)

Visceral Empathy, (2008) via Black & White Gallery

The artist displayed butchered carcasses of animals, hanging, but they were made out of clothing the artist owned.  Aesthetically it is disturbing to see large carcasses of animals, but when the viewer realizes and accepts that they are created from clothing, the eerie feeling still lingers. Perhaps the exhibit will inspire some to become vegetarian or not. Either way Artsy does like the artist’s work and anxiously awaits their next exhibition. 

Back To The Front (2007) via Tamara Kostianovsky

Tamara Kostianovsky was raised in Argentina and currently lives in Brooklyn, NY. She states that “for Argentineans the cow is a symbol of national identity: its the core ingredient in most people’s diet and one of the main exports of the country. By creating sculptural works where cows appear skinned, tortured, or dismembered, I intend to speak about the conflictive relationship between homeland émigrés, at the same time I bring attention to the physicality of our existences, the escalating violence that we became accustomed to, and the  longing that results when the body is displaced.” 

Tamara Kostianovsky

Black & White Gallery