Artist 2017

Eckart Hahn painted this around the turn of the millennium, at a time when debates about animal rights and habitat conservation were becoming increasingly mainstream. Consider how Hahn uses the traditions of figurative painting to make a statement about our relationship with the natural world. The gibbon, a creature of grace and freedom in its natural environment, is here suspended by red ropes that bind and restrict it. The ropes may also imply a circus act. The symbolic weight is compounded by the hard-edged geometry of the plinth, which seems more like a stage or zoological display than a natural habitat. Hahn's work invites us to reflect on the ethics of animal captivity and exploitation. To truly understand its place in contemporary social discourse, it's essential to explore writings about environmental ethics and the history of animal rights movements. This will allow us to consider the painting's engagement with these critical issues.