2011 Finalist
Creator: Susan McEachern
Nominator: Wilma Needham (Visual Arts – Photography)
Seconders: Andrea Kunard, Lorraine Gilbert
Susan McEachern’s Equine Studies is a technically impeccable and conceptually layered photographic series that explores social and historical aspects of the animal/human relationship. Prompted by the artist’s personal experiences with her own daughter’s passionate yet disciplined involvement in horse riding, the three sections of Equine Studies—Herbivores, Still Seeking Athena and Fight/Flight—combine large-scale colour prints and subtle texts. They summon questions of gender, class and competitiveness (whether in current leisure pursuits, military history or ancient mythology) while portraying the strength, intelligence, grace and control required in any equestrian endeavour. The complete series was exhibited in Ottawa in January 2011.
