Layla Abraham- BA (Hons) Fine Art and Art History
Inspired by the artists lifelong fascination with nature, Layla Abraham explores the human relationship with wildlife, questioning why exactly humans feel instinctively drawn to animals despite being so far evolved from ‘wild’ themselves. Abraham contrasts the natural human desire to connect with animals with the suffering they endure due to the consequences of human action in the age of the Anthropocene. Human attitudes can be appreciative of nature, rooted in the admiration and curiosity of its beauty, but the effects of colonialism and the environmental crisis are historically destructive and exploitative of it. Abraham’s series of figurative monochrome works explore this contrast.
Using coloured pencils, her drawings depict animals in isolated and framed compositions, occasionally distorted in form. High-contrast and technically detailed, these works encourage reflection of the contradictory relationship with the natural world. The monochrome colour palette embraces simplicity to reduce visual distraction and creates a slightly peculiar atmosphere, the use of pencil ensures intricate detail and controlled mark-making, and the reduced scale of the drawings creates a sense of intimacy and confrontation.
