Beast Friends Forever
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Beast Friends Forever gathers artists who question the boundaries we often draw between humans and other animals, and asks us to reflect on who art is for and who it serves.
Jeff Meldrum creates sculptures intended for wild animals, placing them in remote wilderness so that animals can encounter and interact with them on their own terms.
Mackenzie Kelly-Frère uses traditional weaving techniques to make a sheep cloak that perfectly mimics the camouflage of a sheep’s fleece against the rocky Nordic landscape, merging human craftsmanship with animal adaptation.
Adrian Stimson’s Buffalo Survival Robe likewise acknowledges how bison are embedded in Blackfoot (Siksika) life as traditional source of food, spirituality and protection in a harsh climate: “In many ways, not unlike my ancestors, the buffalo today still feeds me, and still informs me and is still a great part of my life,” says Stimson.
Bruce Anderson’s lovingly executed paintings of horses—animals with a deeply intertwined history alongside humans—serve as stand-ins for people, exploring themes of nurturing and care that transcend species boundaries.
Meanwhile, Joanne Bristol documents the streets surrounding the Art Gallery of Regina, her sparse line drawings echoing the bleak landscape as spring arrives, revealing a diverse array of animals inhabiting human-made environments and adapting to conditions shaped by our presence.
Together, these artists and their works reveal how the traditional hierarchy placing humans above other beings is, in fact, a complex web of power, control, service, and mutual benefit that binds us together across species.
Jeff Meldrum creates sculptures intended for wild animals, placing them in remote wilderness so that animals can encounter and interact with them on their own terms.
Mackenzie Kelly-Frère uses traditional weaving techniques to make a sheep cloak that perfectly mimics the camouflage of a sheep’s fleece against the rocky Nordic landscape, merging human craftsmanship with animal adaptation.
Adrian Stimson’s Buffalo Survival Robe likewise acknowledges how bison are embedded in Blackfoot (Siksika) life as traditional source of food, spirituality and protection in a harsh climate: “In many ways, not unlike my ancestors, the buffalo today still feeds me, and still informs me and is still a great part of my life,” says Stimson.
Bruce Anderson’s lovingly executed paintings of horses—animals with a deeply intertwined history alongside humans—serve as stand-ins for people, exploring themes of nurturing and care that transcend species boundaries.
Meanwhile, Joanne Bristol documents the streets surrounding the Art Gallery of Regina, her sparse line drawings echoing the bleak landscape as spring arrives, revealing a diverse array of animals inhabiting human-made environments and adapting to conditions shaped by our presence.
Together, these artists and their works reveal how the traditional hierarchy placing humans above other beings is, in fact, a complex web of power, control, service, and mutual benefit that binds us together across species.
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Where is it happening?
Art Gallery of Regina (inside the Neil Balkwill Civic Arts Centre), 2420 Elphinstone Street, PO Box 1790, Regina, SK, Canada, Saskatchewan S4P 3C8
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.
Host or PublisherArt Gallery of Regina
