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Wildly Sensitive - Annette ten Cate
Wildly Sensitive
Annette ten Cate of Medicine Hat, AB
Alberta Craft Discovery Gallery - Edmonton October 29 - December 17, 2022
Annette ten Cate’s exhibition Wildly Sensitive took place October 29 – December 17, 2022, in the Discovery Gallery, Edmonton. Featuring hand built, clay sculptures that reflect her deep connection to the wildlife of Alberta - some of which are designated as “at risk”, ten Cate’s work beckoned us to take a closer look, enjoy the story, consider the wildlife depicted and the dilemmas they face in their natural habitats.
Each species is presented in a narrative context alluding to the circumstances they face in their threatened habitats. Depicting her subjects in almost human narratives, wearing overalls and sweaters, gambling with musical chairs and poker, in fine fighting spirit as a boxer or a weightlifter or, huddled in a frying pan, ten Cate accords viewers the conditions to easily relate to the charming characters in each tableau. Injecting the scenarios with humour and lightheartedness, ten Cate personalizes these issues; making objects loaded with familiar emotion. Offering the viewer an opportunity to identify with the creatures, she hopes her efforts will help to protect them and their habitats.
There are three major categories of habitat loss: Destruction of habitat due to activities such as clearing land for development, mining, logging and agriculture; Degradation of habitat as the result of pollution, climate change and introduction of nonnative invasive species of plants, insects and animals; and finally, Fragmentation of habitat by construction of roads and buildings that restrict wildlife movement, disrupt ecosystems, and separate animal populations. Some of these devastating effects are represented symbolically in Wildly Sensitive; for example, the Northern Pygmy Owl perched amid tree stumps left from clear cut logging, the Red-Tailed Chipmunks gazing across a chasm separating them, or the Ord’s Kangaroo Rats playing cards atop a discarded plastic bottle. Some animals can adapt to the disturbance of their habitat and manage to incorporate themselves (sometimes too well!) into the human world. But for others, the disruption of habitat has devastating effects and has brought many species dangerously close to extinction.
Wildly Sensitive is the culmination Annette ten Cate’s ultimate mission to draw people and wildlife together. But as she developed her vision for this exhibit, it evolved to include a visual statement about the impact of habitat loss on the quality of life for the creatures with whom we share space. As she prepared the works, species that are considered sensitive or at risk of extinction in Alberta became the focus of Annette’s exhibit. She hopes the viewer will consider what we risk losing if extinction becomes a reality for any of these endangered species.
To view the online exhibition and artist talk visit albertacraft.ab.ca/discovery-gallery
