Artist's Statement
2015 was reported to be the hottest first half of the year globally since records began.
Respirater (sic) is a series of animals in mundane normal poses donning respirators, (gasmasks).
Animals in respirators are not new. During the first and second world wars, governments around Europe issued gasmasks for combat animals such as dogs and horses in actions abroad as well as to agriculturalists for their beasts of labour in home territory. While those gas masks were used as a defence against aggressive chemical warfare, this series considers their significance in the modern context: the long-term and wide-reaching effects of unchecked environmental deterioration.
Beyond the obvious environmental theme I hope the viewer can consider the uncritical way in which animals react to circumstances, contrasted with the infinite complexity of our gaze towards them and their surroundings.
- Paul Ulan-Taylor, Bangkok, 2015
