Peacocks Portrait Project
La Petite Mort Gallery presents
LYNNE ANDERSON / PEACOCKS / New Photographs
April 12 – 18, 2013 / Vernissage Friday April 12 / 7 – 10pm
Statement:
A peacock’s tail is his most beautiful asset, but it’s also his greatest vulnerability. Such a cumbersome physical trait puts him at great risk, as it works against him when he faces a predator. And even though a peacock knows that he puts his life on the line by opening his tail, open it he must, because such a thing as beautiful as he should be seen. It’s beauty at all costs. He will vainly strut his stuff in the face of danger for one reason only…to get all female eyes on him and him alone. He will do whatever it takes to alter his appearance to become more desirable.
There’s not much difference when it comes to human males. Men spend hours at the gym altering their bodies to appear stronger and more masculine. Lacking the natural “bling” that the peacock is blessed with, they mimic his God-given beauty by adding their own plumage. These colourful decorations, their feathers, are etched in ink; a conscious and permanent decision to draw attention to themselves. While a possible liability in a job interview, these markings play an important role in, not only attracting females, but giving the males confidence they need to unabashedly strut their stuff in the competitive arena of human sexuality.