THE ALLURE OF THE VENEER215a female body materialized by a classical, submissive iconographical
construction.
As discussed in chapters 4 and 5, the dynamics involved in the
tableau-objet and the force of the event lie at the foundation of the phe-
nomenological, nonaffirmative proposal of ontological mobility: that
which contributes to the rethinking of human/animal relations through
art. Galanin’s work proposes a complex balance between flatness and
three-dimensionality, between realism and manipulated form. Mntam-
bo’s cowhides draw the viewer into a complex negotiation defined by the
allusive conflation of human and animal form. In both approaches, the
allure that characterizes these objects is rooted in the simulated living-
ness of the preserved animal skin. However, the real challenge posed by
FIGURE 6.6 Berlinde De Bruyckere, K36 (The Black Horse), 2003. Horseskin, wood,
iron, polyurethane foam. 295 × 286 × 158 cm. Collection Pei-Cheng Peng. © Berlinde
De Bruyckere. Courtesy Hauser & Wirth and Galleria Continua. Photo by Attilio
Maranzano.