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Christchurch
Joanna Braithwaite Warbler
PG gallery192
21 May–14 June
JASMINE GALLAGHER
Joanna Braithwaite’s surreal collection
of bird paintings is titled Warbler. But
what are these birds singing to us as
they carry the weight of the world
on their heads? The couple in the
largest, Under Wraps, shelter beneath
an ominous newspaper hat that reads,
amongst other headlines, ‘WEATHER
REPORT’ and ‘SEA CHANGE’. Another
cormorant’s paper hat in Shore Leave
reads ‘FLY SOUTH’ and ‘TIDES OF
CHANGE’. While others, including
a spoonbill, egret and heron, seem
to balance their food source of small
fish precariously, evoking a sense of
vulnerability in the process. One of
these, titled Something Fishy, suggests
criminality, while the peacock’s large
and extravagant hat is made of a
decadent mass of feather eyes that peer
back at us in Green Eyes. Braithwaite’s
two kereru paintings both bear a
habitat of trees on their heads, with
mini kereru perching in the branches.Thelargerofthese,Oology, soundsa
lot like eulogy, but means the study
or collecting of birds’ eggs. And
finally, a globular terrarium with a
whole precious little world of islands
depicted inside, is perched upon an
unimpressed bright pink flamingo.
These birds all have something
human about them, wearing as
they are a human garment: a hat.
Depicted free from background
landscape details other than muted
sky tones of blue, purple and dusky
green, sometimes with a hint of
cloud, they take on the feeling of a
studio portrait of a person, or even
a pet. Such anthropomorphism has
often been relegated to the realm
of children’s story books by the
likes of Beatrix Potter, but there is
something more sinister here. The
confident brushstrokes create a
luscious, figurative style that paints
these animals in a way that is very
realistic. Yet the images that ensue
have elements of the absurd and
surreal because we all know animals
do not really wear hats. In turn, the
message they send to us is a message
about humankind itself, namely
the shame and the absurdity of our
current predicament. The implications
of climate change, overfishing and
deforestation are going to be felt by
these species of birds, if they are not
already, just as they will be felt by us.
Although Braithwaite has always
dealt with the relationship between
animals and humans in her work,
these hybrid creations avoid the major
pitfall in approaching animals from
an anthropomorphic stance, because
they are not sentimental. Rather,
they speak more to the absurdity
of the human race, rather than any
sort of exceptionalism. Braithwaite’s
creatures tip the scales: humans are
no longer situated as having a status
that is alone worthy of studio portraits,
consciousness, or agency. Instead,
we are relegated to a state of clumsy
destruction, seemingly powerless
to change the course of history that
we have so perilously set in motion.
At this point, Braithwaite’s animals
become more humanistic, more
knowing and more noble than the
viewer, and this is precisely where the
power of her bestiary emerges. As I
look into the eye of the peacock again
I sense wounded accusation and pity,
and I realise the greedy Green Eyes are
ours not theirs.(left)
JOANNA BRAITHWAITE Oology 2019
Oil on canvas, 1065 x 910 mm.
(below) Joanna Braithwaite’s Warbler at
PG gallery192, May 2019