September 30 – November 5, 2012

Mexican Free-Tailed Bat | Tadarida brasiliensis
2011 | India ink and clay on paper (digital inversion)

Adam Cohen and Ben Labay make their living as biologists at the Texas Natural History Collection (Ichthyology Collection) and the Fishes of Texas Project at the University of Texas at Austin. Their professions and their enthusiasm for art and nature come together in a project called Inked Animal, as a place for them to explore the reasons and inspirations they chose to become biologists.

Cohen and Labay’s Inked Animal collection features stunning prints of animals using ink, clay, paper and fabric. Inked Animal takes inspiration and techniques from the classic Gyotaku concept (Japanese fish pressing), in which ink or pigment is rubbed onto the surface of a fish which is then pressed on paper or cloth. This art form originated among Japanese fishermen, who used the impressions to record the size and quantity of their catch before taking it to market. Gyotaku has now evolved into a beautiful and culturally important art form in Japan. Cohen and Labay expand their work well beyond the ichthyological, to include fur (mammals), scale (reptiles), and feather (birds).

Their work reveals the importance of careful observation in both the natural sciences and the arts. Observations that the artists make while creating Inked Animal impressions often filter back into their roles as scientists in the natural history collections, as the printing process can help reveal previously un-noticed physiological characteristics.

“Through working with specimens as objects of art we’ve noticed bits of specimen anatomy that we’ve overlooked before or otherwise never took the time to take a close look at. Some come to mind immediately: sensory pores on alligator chins, dense hair in opossum pouches and their fingerprints, bifurcating genitalia of snakes, unusual mutated scales on fish. The most striking kinds of things we notice are related to various pores and crevices which become very obvious once ink fills them in.” -Adam Cohen, Inked Animal

This exhibition also provides the viewer with a stark reminder of how human activities affect wildlife; all of the mammals, birds and reptiles printed were found dead on the road. The ink and clay impressions of these animals serve as both ethereal and elegant records of biological diversity in North America. In that way, the Inked Animal collection pays homage to the estimated 1.5 million wildlife-vehicle collisions in the United States each year.

“We create the work out of respect for what creates the impression, trying to capture a special and unique version of it that simultaneously acknowledges the corporeal and spirit of the animal.” -Ben Labay, Inked Animal

An interview with Adam Cohen + Ben Labay about their work (ECO Art + Science Series: The Inked Animals of Adam Cohen + Ben Labay) was published in May 2012 on the biocreativity blog. Many of the original artworks featured in this interview will be on display as Art.Science.Gallery. and the South Corridor Gallery @ First Presbyterian Church co-present the work of these two artists.

Please contact Hayley at Art.Science.Gallery. for pricing and availability. (512)522-8278 or hayley@artsciencegallery.com