The "Crying Animals" Project
Does Art have no consequences?

According to recent research, 550 animal and plant species -
each the result of millions of years of evolution -, become
extinct every day. But does this knowledge move us?
Can photography move you, touch you, make you stop and think?

These were Werner Pawlok's goals for the project "Crying Animals".
It all started with a contribution for the global art exhibition
“Columbus - In Search of a New Tomorrow”: the portrait of
a chimpanzee on gold leaf that particularly moved so many
of the visitors.

The look in the chimpanzee's eyes: almost broken, suffering
uncomprehendingly the wheelings and dealings of human beings.
The gesture: crucified. The gold: a metaphor for the irreplaceable
treasures that we wantonly throw down into the gutter of extinction.

There followed a whole series of animal portraits featuring endangered
species for “Artists United for Nature”. They were taken at the Natural
History Museum, Castle Rosenstein in Stuttgart with the 50x60 Polaroid
camera. The originals were developed on handmade paper or canvas and
finished with acrylic paint, gold leaf and other materials.

To move you, to touch you, to make you stop and think. And to make
a small contribution to the conservation of nature: many of the portraitshave
been auctioned - the proceeds have gone protect endangered species.