Hope Doe, “Beast Within” Exhibition runs: August 14th – September 12th, 2021 Haven Gallery is pleased to present Japan based artist Hope Doe, for her first solo show “Beast Within” at the gallery. “Beast Within” features a collection of paintings that playfully amalgamate animals and human beings to create symbiotic portraits. Hope has cleverly fit and concealed her humans into the shapes and forms of her animal sitters. Whether asleep or active in their roles, each human naturally and seamlessly integrates themselves within their animal counterparts, returning themselves to the natural world. A nod to the notion of familiars, Shintoism and a graceful reminder of the interconnectedness of all living things. Artist Statement Since the beginning of human consciousness, we as a species have studied and admired the living creatures around us. We have used animals as our symbols and compared them to our own personality traits. We have closely observed animals to discover ways to adapt our lives and make it better. Humanity strives to live in the same world and yet, we as humans view animals separate to us. For this series, I am exploring the idea of fitting ourselves into animal shapes and ideals and paired them with moments of strong emotion. Each of the animals I chose are animals that I have a personal connection with now or in the past. ABOUT HOPE DOE Hope is an American artist currently residing in Mie, Japan. With her interests in Japanese traditional arts and growing up in a western culture, she creates a unique blend of the two influences. Her work has a strong sense of narrative, which contains a tinge of mystery and the unknown. Her artwork often molds humanity with the natural world giving the sense that humanity is one in the same, and shouldn’t be a separate entity. Her work contains a variety of mixed media, including sumi, graphite, oils, and watercolors.
