Hear Me Now!

My work contains portraits of a male and a young or adolescent Chacma baboon. These were

inspired by the stunning photography sent to me by my good friend and fellow animal lover Chloe

Leung, shot by a friend of hers while both undertaking wildlife research on a South African

reserve. I have chosen these beautiful creatures to portray the theme ‘Animal – People –

Environment’ through the depiction of emotion, which connects all three of these aspects in an

important ecological triangle, where each impacts the other just as significantly. Emotion and

expression connect us to our wild counterparts, and I aim to make the viewer consider this

likeness between us and apes, which makes it so incredibly important for us to take responsibility

and look after them as we do our own species. This is why I chose to include a younger and adult

baboon, and focussed on facial expression, to mirror the humanity of the viewer.

I have chosen to use black ballpoint pen in this work, as it allows me to capture detail,, yet further

exhibits a vastness through the black ink against white paper creating a deep, dramatic effect to

exacerbate the heightened emotion I aim to portray in my work.