Kinship with Animals-Natasha Vidger’s Exhibit

The Mary Bishop Memorial Gallery at the Crawfordsville District Public Library would like to invite the public to view a new exhibit by the nationally recognized artist, Natasha Vidger.

Her work will be on display through the end of September during the library’s regular hours of operation. A limited number of Vidger’s paintings will be sold during the exhibition through the circulation department.

Vidger was born and raised in a quiet suburban neighborhood in Littleton, Colorado.

“My experience with nature was curated through day trips winding among the Rocky Mountains,” she said. “Subconsciously there was a division in my mind between myself and the animals. They were among the trees and rocks, and I was between ranch-style homes and manicured lawns. Despite this division, I developed a kinship with animals. They felt familiar and relatable. I developed a deep love and insatiable curiosity for wildlife.”

Vidger decided to permanently move to Indiana after completing her master’s in fine arts thesis at Herron School of Art & Design. She fell in love with the beauty of the Indiana sunrise and sunset. She currently works out of her private studio, submerged in nature just south of Indianapolis. Creating nature-based art has long served as a way for her to satisfy and explore her passion for painting and drawing.

The dominant theme of Vidger’s work examines society’s perceived superiority over animals. Despite similarities to humans and the mounting evidence of autonomy, animals face persecution and diaspora. Using life-size animal paintings, she seeks to re-forge this broken relationship by creating a physical space that viewers can utilize to contemplate and reflect on the niches animals inhabit in a human-dominated landscape. She balances her paintings through refined and unrefined areas that represent the fracturing of animal populations, and the surreal and isolated environments that animals are increasingly forced to navigate. Common narratives of survival and struggle in a shared environment unify her body of work.

“I want to confront the viewers with the power, mystery, fear and beauty that is encapsulated within the animal gaze and the animal form to bridge the perceived line between animals and humans,” she said.

Vidger’s recent exhibitions include solo shows at the Tube Factory in Fountain Square and the Lost Dog Gallery in downtown Indianapolis. For the past two years, she has participated in the Indianapolis Zoo’s Naturally Inspired Paint Out, a day of en plein air painting followed by an auction with proceeds going to the care of the zoo’s resident animals. On most First Fridays you can find her at the Irving Theatre selling her paintings.

To learn more about Vidger’s work, visit her website.

Artists or members of an artists’ group interested in displaying work at the Mary Bishop Memorial Gallery in 2023, should contact the gallery coordinator at 765-362-2242 for more details.