ARTIST AND SOCIETY AT THE TATE

White Tiger Kenny, Selective Inbreeding Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge and Foundation Eureka Springs, Arkansas 

THEME: Artist and Society

Taryn Simon (photographer)- drawing attention to spaces which are hidden, restricted and overlooked.

I chose this gallery room since I thought the concept was interesting and provoked a wake up call to what happens in society. The atmosphere of Taryn's photographs are quite eerie since they reveal subjects that are taboo or removed from our gazes. 

An American Index of the Hidden and Unfamiliar by Taryn Simon provides access to a series of restricted spaces. They include hidden sites that form an integral part of culture and identity in the United States. The inclusion of text with the photographs provides an in depth context which opens up and breaks down the barriers of access.

This series took my curiosity since its very true to what society is like now especially when touching on topics such as government, religion and entertainment. As people of the public, a lot of what happens in the world is kept hidden from us yet they give enough information to make us think that we know enough and would not question. In a way it is quite manipulative and these photos portray some truth in what happens in the world providing answers.  

Kenny the White Tiger is a powerful photo since he shows the result of selective inbreeding. In the United States they artificially created the genetic conditions that lead to white fur, ice blue eyes and a pink nose. As a result of inbreeding, Kenny is mentally disabled and has significant physical limitations. Due to his deep set nose, he has difficulty breathing and closing his jaw, his teeth are severely malformed and limps from abnormal bone structure. 

As a lover of animals, this really struck a chord since this made me find out that white Bengal tigers are not actually a species. The ONLY way to produce a white tiger is through severe inbreeding of brother to sister or mother to son which obviously can result in dangerous outcomes for the offspring such as early deaths and still births. The white fur gene is the same gene that connects the optic nerve to the wrong side of the brain. Therefore making all white tigers cross eyed even if it is not noticeable visually. White Tigers are inbred usually for entertainment purposes since they are money makers, people will pay to see them. 

This is exactly what I admire about Taryn's work, making the unknown or never thought about come to light. People will have a trip to the zoo as a fun activity for the family, zoos will not highlight the details on these white tigers because it is immoral. They will keep people naive to the fact of how white tigers came to existence because I'm sure if more people new there would be controversy and protests against white tiger breeding. 

The exhibit room itself was simple, the photographs are the main focal point and were just white framed. Each photograph was placed with some distance in-between, probably so the photographs did not feel overcrowded and the message of the photograph could be reflected with the viewer.