Featured Artist Jo Frederiks

Australian artist Jo Frederiks makes a strong statement about of the plight of animals being used for consumer purposes through her work. Learn more about her mission by visiting her website.

 

 

My art is created to shine a spotlight on the deliberately well-hidden plight of the helpless victims we needlessly use and abuse for food, clothing, entertainment and in vivisection.

 

 

I tell their story visually—without words—using graphite, pastel or paint. Why? Because most people are unwilling to examine animal exploitation and its enormity and how apathy and indifference funds this unsustainable nightmare.

 

 

People generally turn a blind eye to graphic photographs or videos that document the unjustifiable violence behind our consumption of nonhuman animals. However, they will stop and observe artworks depicting similar images.

 

 

I invite you to look beyond your initial reaction to my art and be open to its message of social justice. This is where art becomes a powerful political and social tool in its ability to educate and create awareness. I hope my art moves people and inspires change in their perception of animals—that they are not here for our use, and that their lives belong to them and are not ours to take.

 

 

Many of my works are delicate pencil drawings, where my objective is to show the expressions and unique characters of individuals that society reduces to commodities, and belittles as “things.” I also depict acts that are standard industry practices (not isolated events) such as male chicks being ground up alive, infant male calves facing execution as the dairy industry dismisses them as wastage, or “dairy” cows strung upside down while being dismembered alive, to mention a few.

 

 

By exposing the truth, my art becomes a permanent fixture online; a visual evidence of society’s crimes against the vulnerable that cannot be erased. Some of my oils are quite large pieces—up to six feet in length—and are rendered as realistically as possible. I also paint the odd pop art piece created to spark interest and curiosity such as “We Didn’t Even Make it this Far.”

 

 

I use symbolism in some of my work to make it confrontational and controversial such as the iconic image, “Every Day.”

 

 

I usually work directly from reference photos as accuracy is critically important to my work. A great deal of my art practice is spent sourcing reference material online. The work of acclaimed photojournalist, Jo-Anne McArthur, inspires me. It’s incredible what just one person can do to change the world for the better.

 

 

I hope my art encourages people to question their ethics and moral beliefs. We have all been indoctrinated to consume and use animals since birth. Few of us ever question the ramifications of what this violent ideology means, not just for our health and for the animals but for future generations and the sustainability of the planet.

 

 

My art is dedicated to exposing the greatest injustice of our time and asks you, the viewer, to reject violence and demand justice for all sentient beings. That’s what being vegan really means.

 

Artist Jo Frederiks invites you to follow her on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

 

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