Wernicke draws from the well of German romanticism and modern ethics in a lush series tracking two young women and their entwined relationships with animals.
artist: Yana Wernicke
project: Companions
© Yana Wernicke 2023 courtesy Loose Joints
© Yana Wernicke 2023 courtesy Loose Joints
In German, Companions, or Weggefährten, is a hybrid word that translates literally as ‘those who walk the path together’.
Through tenderness, touch and intuition, Wernicke’s cam- era follows that path – of joy, emotions, tenderness and play between humans and animals – striving to close the gulf between our emotional consciousness and those of the other animals we live alongside.
© Yana Wernicke 2023 courtesy Loose Joints
© Yana Wernicke 2023 courtesy Loose Joints
© Yana Wernicke 2023 courtesy Loose Joints
John Berger’s landmark Why Look at Animals? describes the ‘species loneliness’ of modern man: how the ancient re- lationships between humans and nature have broken down, reducing the existence of animals to marginalised objects, as commodities, and as Other. Concerned with modern humanity’s yearning for a deeper connection to ecology, Wernicke’s series is a touching portrait of two young women who have established profound relationships with animals. Rosina and Julie each independently save animals from cer- tain death and create bonds of love and trust with animals typically considered solely for their economic value.
© Yana Wernicke 2023 courtesy Loose Joints
© Yana Wernicke 2023 courtesy Loose Joints
editor : Ecaterina Rusu
Companions by Yana Wernicke is published by Loose Joints. through to www.loosejoints.biz