Pet Shop

Nine emerging artists explore how depicting animals helps humans process trauma and understand themselves in Pet Shop, a group exhibition at Harsh Collective that reveals how creatures—both real and imagined—serve as mirrors for our own emotional landscapes. Featuring work by Audrey Bialke, Jennifer Blaine, Mo Gordon, Ada Louise Hamilton, Alice Johnson, Bird Nord, Jenna Rothstein, Anaïs De Los Santos, and Darcy Whent, the exhibition is on view at 606 Dean St from July 18th to August 9th with an opening reception on July 17th from 6 to 8 pm. The presentation features over 35 works in various mediums, each depicting animals. 

The artists in Pet Shop don’t simply depict animals, they use them as emotional proxies to explore human experiences. The often anthropomorphised or imaginary creatures depicted in the exhibition celebrate our instinctive curiosity of the animal kingdom—our inclination to learn about, care for, classify, and fantasize about them. The featured artists do not just depict animals, but the interaction of animals and humans, whether through decorative, architectural, or humanized details. Each piece reflects the artist’s journey toward understanding themselves through the creatures that inhabit their world.

“The artists in Pet Shop remind us of our ability to extend empathy to animals in the hope that we can extend the same to ourselves and others,” shares Etta Harshaw, founder of Harsh Collective, “they remind us of the goodness we should nurture at a time when so many seem to be motivated by greed.”