New work from French
born artist Anne-France Fulgence (known as AF) captures in unflinching
close up portraits the brutal life of pig hunting dogs. The
loyalty and unconditional love of these creatures is contrasted with
their barbaric and bloody existence.
This is the fourth solo show on this theme by AF, she explains: “I have
tried to educate myself on the sport for the last four years, and meet
hunters, and immerse myself in their world. For the hunters it is
almost a "rite of passage", the invincibility of the male warrior,
playing with death, and inflicting it. The pig hunter loves his
dogs, respects them. They have a powerful bond.”
AF’s latest portraits take a new approach, she says: “For the
first time the dogs appear in full armour or protective collar, the
dogs are dressed like for medieval battle, with leather harness and
massive protective collars. They need the extra protection, because
dogs will hang at the hog ears until the hunter arrives for the kill,
the dog is violently shaken and the hog’s tusks can rip them in the
neck or face.”
“I have also attempted the "cage dog". I know a few dogs which
live their life like that, only let out to be locked in other cages at
the back of the Ute, only let free to hunt. It is a concept that
I have difficulties to deal with. It is a powerful image,
difficult to paint, the metal bars, against the softness of the dog.
And the questioning look of their eyes.”
AF is obsessed with her subject, but she is not interested in taking
part in the sport herself. She is an outsider, who observes but
does not judge her subjects. One of the most challenging aspects
of her work is the fact that many of the dogs she has painted have been
killed or will be killed doing what they are bred for. Her
paintings imbue the dogs with dignity, and bring their brutal lives and
experiences to a different audience; the portraits have been
exceptionally well received by the art world and private collectors
alike.
In 2008, AF’s work was selected to be a part of a touring exhibition,
“Who let the dog out” on the theme of the dog in contemporary
Australian Art, presented first at the Lake Macquarie City Gallery and
then the Hazelhurst Regional Gallery NSW.
