Tigers Through The Ages - Zines
Inspired by my exploration of nostalgia, I decided to expand my quirky tiger universe by imagining them in a few of the historical periods that captivated me as a kid. I was always fascinated by history, starting, naturally, with the tv show Horrible Histories, then expanding into the My (Royal) Story children’s books which depicted fictional diaries of famous historical figures. Even today I often find myself going down research rabbit holes about people (often artists) throughout history. When I began my exploration of tigers, I started off by researching how they have been presented in art. I found Candy Bedworth’s article “Killer or Kitty? The Tiger in Art,” particularly interesting. From this, I found that tigers have been used in many different cultures and time periods as a symbol of strength, protection, power and beauty. They can be both spiritual guiders and ferocious warriors. With these zines, I aimed to liken the history of tigers in art to the history of queerness. Queer people have always existed, but the journey to equality and acceptance is ongoing across the world. While there is beauty in celebrating queerness, there is also a gruelling fight for the right to exist. This is especially prevalent in today’s climate, with the UK Supreme Court’s new bill threatening the security of the trans community. Progress is never as linear as we’d like to believe, and now more than ever we need to be strong and fight for our community.
Medieval Tigers
(A5 zine, watercolour, acrylic and monotype print)
Rococo Tigers
(A5 zine, watercolour, acrylic, monotype and lino print)
Maiko/Geisha Tigers
(A5 zine, watercolour, acrylic and monotype print)
Ancient Egyptian Tigers
(A5 zine, watercolour, ink and monotype print)