Anivale artisit statment

2014 was a very good year.

My latest show was“Anivale" at Galley in the Attic.

“Anivale" was based on the Italian saying "Ognie scherzo vale a Carnevale" (anything goes at Carnival), I have created a series of scratch-board portraits of masked and masquerading animals. This work draws on the artists’ Italian heritage; Carnevale was always a big part of Martini-Dunk’s life. Using scratchboards and relying on the simplicity of line work to capture the complexity of nature, the artists creates animals in costume and compares Man and Nature.

"Anivale" is portmanteau that combines "animale" & "carnivale" and through it I presents animals in all their natural beauty, but masked as if in pursuit of an alternate identity or character change, protecting themselves or their soul... The artist aims to show the natural beauty of some animals who need no masks or costumes in comparison to man. Is this the true nature of this animal? Or are the animals with masks showing their true natures? In contrast man wears a mask all the time, it may not be a physical mask but a subconscious one. Is the true nature of man ever really known? In reality animals never wear masks, but man does.