By Brianna Holcomb
arts and entertainment editor
The idea that as humans we have an inherent nature that is animalistic seems to baffle many. For Mia Cheung this notion is not baffling at all, it is actually quite comprehensible.
Mia Cheung’s gallery “Untamed” is a series of photographs that looks at the blurred line between animals and humans.
The idea that we all have a basic animal instinct is what makes us so close to our animal counterparts. Basic needs of survival including companionship and the need to eat and drink can be seen through these photographs.
The constant theme of life and survival can be found amongst all of the photos in the gallery. Each set of animals is looking or striving to survive in their own habitat.
A photograph of lions having sex is the first one adorning the wall of the gallery. Besides the shock value that this picture adds it also addresses this need for another person or companion.
Another photo that showcases this need for companionship is one featuring two elephants in the middle of a grassy plain.
They are using their trunks to embrace each other in what looks to be a hug. Known as the more passionate animals in wildlife, this loving photograph is a great example of the need for another person, or animal’s, touch.
The photo displays a joyous emotion that we can interpret and relate back to the ones we love. That feeling of joy we get when we see a friend for the first time after summer break or going home to see family, the happiness is there.
This photo also showcases a nice contrast between the elephants grey skin and the tall yellow grass that they are standing in. Another contrast is the placement of the photographs. This picture is placed next to a dark image of alligators eating their meal.
Animals are often seen as beast-like creatures that do not contain the same needs or wants that humans do. We think of our pets as playful and loving animals that are here to serve us as a form of entertainment or comfort.
A picture of two gazelles butting heads may not come across as any form of human or basic need but it does have one. Survival amongst not only the elements but each other is a very common need. The picture depicts this necessity.
In the background there is a muddy riverbank. What was once there, probably drinking from the riverbank, is now being ripped apart by two alligators. Two forms of survival have taken place here.
The picture looks as though you can feel the river water move as the two alligators fight over what is probably dinner. Their green skin comes off as cracked leather in the photograph. The details that the camera has picked up are apparent in every photo.
Another picture is of three monkeys. They sit on a rock, stone faces staring off in opposite directions. One of the monkeys is nursing; the child’s mouth holding on to its mother tightly looking for the nutrients it needs to survive.
Each photograph shows simple life moments that can be translated into ones we see as human beings.
My personal favorite photo from the gallery is a monkey sitting in the dirt head bowed and hands covering its face.
The feeling of being overwhelmed and exhausted is one that can be felt by many across the board. We see so many memes of animals doing crazy faces or poses but there is something about this photo that takes it away from the “crazy meme” and brings it to a more real life feel.
Nursing, fighting, hunting and even companionship are all a part of our lives. So often we forget that there are many pieces that make us so similar to the world around us.
As humans we tend take a superiority standpoint to other living things but this gallery reminds us that we are not as far away from animals as we’d like to think.