Pee on This (2017) Porcelain
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Dog pee is kryptonite in some neighbourhoods.
Dogs pee. They’re animals. It’s what they do.
Dogs live in cities. They pee on sidewalks, trees, buildings and light posts.
After moving to a new neighbourhood in Montreal I spent the next three years focused on dog pee in one form or another. My neighbours were so obsessed with my dog and where he peed. I sat through condo meetings with outraged condo owners convinced that neighbouring dogs peeing on the corner of the building was causing severe structural damage. The topic was passionately raised time and time again with a permanent spot on the agenda. I was accosted in the street numerous times for allowing my dog to pee on sidewalks or trees. I even had a neighbour tell me that I should be going to the dog park, a 12-minute walk from my home, to allow my dog to “do his business” there.
Dog parks aren’t dog toilets.
My dog pees on sidewalks, tress, buildings and light posts. He lives in the city, he pees in the city.
Get over it.
Pee on This is a 28-plate, four-cup and two-ginger jar series exploring the topic of dog pee. Using the recognizable blue and white of traditional Chinese porcelain, this work elevates the dog and its natural actions to the level of high art. The repetition of form, colour and motif reflects the repetitive nature of taking your dog out to relieve itself. The series of plates is broken down into sets of four; each set with its own style of decoration. The urine yellow colour runs throughout the entire series, making an appearance on each plate, on the rim of each cup, and splashed onto the ginger jars.
Dogs pee. They’re animals. It’s what they do.
Dogs live in cities. They pee on sidewalks, trees, buildings and light posts.
After moving to a new neighbourhood in Montreal I spent the next three years focused on dog pee in one form or another. My neighbours were so obsessed with my dog and where he peed. I sat through condo meetings with outraged condo owners convinced that neighbouring dogs peeing on the corner of the building was causing severe structural damage. The topic was passionately raised time and time again with a permanent spot on the agenda. I was accosted in the street numerous times for allowing my dog to pee on sidewalks or trees. I even had a neighbour tell me that I should be going to the dog park, a 12-minute walk from my home, to allow my dog to “do his business” there.
Dog parks aren’t dog toilets.
My dog pees on sidewalks, tress, buildings and light posts. He lives in the city, he pees in the city.
Get over it.
Pee on This is a 28-plate, four-cup and two-ginger jar series exploring the topic of dog pee. Using the recognizable blue and white of traditional Chinese porcelain, this work elevates the dog and its natural actions to the level of high art. The repetition of form, colour and motif reflects the repetitive nature of taking your dog out to relieve itself. The series of plates is broken down into sets of four; each set with its own style of decoration. The urine yellow colour runs throughout the entire series, making an appearance on each plate, on the rim of each cup, and splashed onto the ginger jars.