COGNISANCE – An Exhibition of Equine Paintings by Joni-Leigh Doran

This body of work highlights the enduring but complex relationship between horses and humans. In these paintings, the spectral representation of the horse presents a species with a long and interconnected relationship with humans, sometimes to the point of holy divinity. The horse's long service to humanity, and their deep awareness and understanding of a species other than themselves, is one we humans can only aspire to and yet… Humans have, since the beginning, subjected billions of horses to untold horrors and murderous exploitation. The ghostlike form of various horses in these paintings is both a testament to those that have suffered and died as well as our sanctification of them and our admiration of their deep powers of intuition and knowledge that rises far beyond the cognitive abilities of our own species.

‘These paintings are an enquiry into the spirit of the horse, and the deep and historical interconnectedness between us and them. The ephemeral portrayal of them in these works accentuates the opposing circumstances that horses currently face in cohabitation with humans – transcendence and tribulation.’ – Joni-Leigh Doran

Visit La Galleria page to see all the artworks of the exhibition.