Hyena Embracing Man
Thursday 03/05/2009 9:20 PM
 My artistic rendering of Pieter Hugo's photograph “Abdullahi Mohammed with Mainasara, Ogere-Remo, Nigeria 2007.” (2009) File Under: Africa; Hyena Men of Abuja, The; Photograph, Digital Manipulation/Composite; Someone Else's Image |
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I still don't think I've done this topic justice. I've been trying to uncompact all the different things I felt about that original photo. The best I've been able to come up with is:
Time and again I found myself returning to look at that photo. It seemed like a snapshot of a post-apocalyptic, backwoods African barrio as envisioned by Edgar Rice Burroughs.
I love these photos so much. Tonight I decided to take one of my favorites from Pieter Hugo's collection and use Photoshop to render it as a piece of art. When you see this man and his hyena embracing it is clear that this no cut and dry case of dominion. This is companionship.
If you didn't read the text on the link yesterday, I'm going to quote a little bit to you:
The spectacle caused by this group walking down busy market streets was overwhelming. I tried photographing this but failed, perhaps because I wasn't interested in their performances. I realised that what I found fascinating was the hybridisation of the urban and the wild, and the paradoxical relationship that the handlers have with their animals - sometimes doting and affectionate, sometimes brutal and cruel. I started looking for situations where these contrasting elements became apparent. I decided to concentrate on portraits.
Awesome.
Last night I discovered that Hugo published a book of his photos. I ordered a copy for myself and the link to the Amazon page is your Link of the Day.
I just realized that the hyena is muzzled in the original photograph. So I suppose it's not quite a Lassie and little Timmy type of relationship.
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