Katrīna Tračuma reflects on empathy, animals and painting through Does the dog die?, an exhibition looking back at twelve creative years.
By Katrīna Tračuma | Anecdotes Issue 03
This idea—or question—has been on my mind for several years now. It’s actually a measure of empathy that’s often used when evaluating movie content. There’s even a website called doesthedogdie.com, where movie reviews are written with an emphasis on how difficult it will be for empathetic viewers to watch a particular plot. There is a public message board where you can discuss with others and find answers to questions: Is there war in the movie? Is anyone killed? Is there blood in the movie? Violence against children? Are there violent scenes related to substance abuse? Is there rape or murder? Does the dog die in the film?
Because, after all, we are often able to protect ourselves when watching staged violence, comforting ourselves with the thought that it isn’t real—it’s just a story. Something inside us gets caught up in it and makes us feel that anxiety and stress, especially when it comes to animals of other species in such stories. ‘Lassie’. ‘Babe’. ‘Chicken Run’. ‘Free Willy’. ‘Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron’.
Or ‘The Lion King’—which probably influenced me the most as a child.
It’s rare to meet someone who doesn’t like any animals, or who actually hates them with all their heart. Most of us live with at least cats, dogs, hamsters, fish, and rabbits. Some even have cows, horses, goats, and other animals. In urban areas, we live with pigeons, seagulls, crows, and foxes. And beyond this coexistence, we are undeniably interconnected with all life around us. We even claim that we love animals very much!
But do our daily actions truly confirm this claim?…
In my mind, there is a feeling I experience every time I step out of a train car at the Riga railway station. In the crowded platform, surrounded by a throng of people, I feel like a true herd animal. A cow, a sheep, a horse, a pig, a goat—any of these. I am part of the flow; I move along with the rest. Turning around and going back creates resistance in the crowd. Irritation. Impatience.
Why can’t you be like everyone else and go with the flow?
Reflecting what is experienced in the exhibition as well— original ideas that are universally relevant…
Painting is essential.
Paint as much as possible! Tired or energetic. Sad or happy. Exhausted or fulfilled. Sick or healthy. Bored or adventurous. Yesterday, today, or tomorrow.
Painting is essential.
People let you down— relationships end, attitudes and circumstances change. I can truly trust and rely only on myself, and on painting.
That is what I originally wrote to mark the opening of the exhibition. Then, as May drew nearer, I realized that I had, after all, managed to find my people— those who support, inspire, and help me in crucial moments.
I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to everyone who agreed to join me on this journey of creating the exhibition. Thank you all very much.
In my interactions with modern society, I have often felt hurt, disappointed, wounded, and drained. Painting saves me. Other animals, and nature.
What is natural? This exhibition consists of many “E” elements— ethics, empathy, aEsthetics.
Unfortunately, many everyday expressions of violent attitudes and behaviors are justified as something natural. Is human essence naturally cruel? Or are we capable of analyzing, shaping, and changing ourselves?
Answers can be found in books—one of the literary sources I recommend is even featured within this exhibition. Perhaps also in art. And among globally recognized good people. One of the subjects of the portraits included in this exhibition, Jane Goodall, has said:
“You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.”
Jane Goodall’s portrait, titled “What if Jane Goodall was a Dictator?”, can be viewed in this exhibition next to the portrait of “Aspazija in a Synthetic Fur Coat and with plastic pearls.”
But these are just a few examples of how I create art that might make you pause for a moment to reflect on our role in this world. In this exhibition, you can also experience: 1 original handmade book; 17 sculptures; 53 paintings on canvas and more than a hundred illustrations in 7 different books filled with gouache illustrations; 11 wild birds; 4 chickens; 2 different dogs; 5 cats; And 1 piglet. Or maybe 2, or 3?
This is a look back at just the last 12 creative years. As we know, each dog year is roughly equivalent to five human years. For artists, the first ten years are like being a toddler who has just learned how to walk and talk. School, adolescence, and growing up still lie ahead…
So, this is just the beginning, and I look forward to the next 10 years with joy.
Right now, in my studio, I’m preparing a few more cats, several goats, and many underwater creatures for my next exhibition.
Borrowing from what Ģederts Elias said, I can definitely say that “I’m on the right path”— with the right people.
Katrīna Tračuma
It was in kindergarten that a pact was made between two friends to become vegetarians on their 12th birthdays. After nine years, Katrīna made the transition to veganism, and this lifestyle choice has actively informed the work that she makes ever since. Thus, her work is political in nature, as is her existence – a queer feminist who lives with chronic pain. Art as activism is the main motivation for her practice. Expressing her concerns with global issues, which are affected by society on an individual scale.
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