Vancouver art show is for dogs, by a dog – Vancouver Sun

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Pet-A-Palooza

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When: Aug. 28, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

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Where: 1100 Mainland St., Vancouver

Tickets and info: Free, petapaloozawest.com 

When Jean Huang set out to find a dog last year, she never expected to end up with a pup quite like Ou Zai

The Vancouver-based visual artist, who shares the heeler-mix with her partner PJ Bell, found Ou Zai through a “rehoming situation” in Surrey. The good-natured, tricolour dog whose name is pronounced ‘N-ow J-eye’ — Cantonese for ‘little cowboy,’ — seemed like a perfect fit for their active family. 

“We really wanted a dog that would be very adventurous and go on hikes with us, and he fit that description,” Huang recalls.

Little did she know, the new furry family member would end up playing an important role in her career as an artist, as well.

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While working on a project for art school that focused on artifacts and their presentation in museums, Huang turned her gaze to Ou Zai and his process of searching for and selecting sticks while exploring their Vancouver neighbourhood as a source of artistic inspiration.

“I decided to think about Ou Zai and how he would view artifacts and then also try to imagine, if he was a curator or an artist, what would he deem as worthy artifacts in an art museum,” she says. 

The process of looking at art through her dog’s eyes gave her the idea to create an installation unlike any she’d created before. One made by her dog, for other dogs.

“When I first started this project with him, we were just looking at the sticks that he was finding,” Huang says. “I thought this would be an obvious artifact that dogs would display in an art show because they’re so important to dogs. And while I was watching him collect the sticks, I realized that he thought through every stage. Whether it had its own unique shape or had a cool texture, or different marking on it.

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“In a way, seeing things from Ou Zai’s perspective has taught me to give more space to my surroundings to contribute to the art rather than just focusing on my perspective.”

The young dog also seemed to take an interest in Huang’s art creation process.

“Whenever I was creating art, he was almost like a studio mate,” she says. “He’d be near me and he’d always be observing. Or sometimes he would mimic whatever I was doing. Like, if I was ripping up canvas, he would also be there and try to chew on the canvas with me.”

Ou Zai’s seemingly inspired art interactions prompted Huang to search out other forms of abstract creations among his everyday encounters. 

“From the sticks, it kind of evolved to found objects,” Huang says. “When he was around four months old, he had this phase of collecting abandoned beach toys, and he was really interested in toy shovels. He brought home probably at least 10 toy shovels over time.”

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As most puppies do, he enjoyed chewing the discovered items. But Huang felt there was something special in the way he would chew, chew and then leave a particular piece. The process, she felt, mirrored her own when creating a piece of art. 

“He had a process of chewing them and then he would stop and be like, OK, this is as far as I’m going to go with it,” she says. “And I know it’s probably just for fun for him, but viewing it, I was like, oh, that’s the start of the process.”

Huang further forayed into Ou Zai’s “creation” process by looking at his destroyed toys. A chewed up ball or a terribly torn up puppy bed become less like pieces to pitch in the garbage and more elements of abstract art.

“Viewing all these artifacts that he’s created, it looks almost like things we would see in a contemporary art museum,” she says of the collected items, amassed over the past year. “It’s just funny seeing the process and viewing it as art, I guess.”

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Ou Zai’s work will be on display during the free event Pet-A-Palooza in Yaletown on Aug. 28. The event, which is a fundraiser for the Just Love Animals Society, features exhibits, races, dog yoga and more.

Featured in an open art space, the works will be on display at dog level, allowing the canines to appreciate the creations — while also encouraging their human companions to get down to their level in an effort to see things from their eyes.

“At the end of the day, the show is by him, so I wanted it to be for other dogs to view and to elevate the dog’s perspective by having it at the dog’s eye level,” Huang explains. “The world is centred around humans, and maybe if we stopped to think about different points of views from other species, hopefully we can try to create a world where it’s more about coexisting with other animals.”

Huang encourages visitors to allow their dogs to become a “guest curator” at the show, by offering up their own artifacts ranging from sticks and slobbery bones to ripped toys. She will also be offering unique dog caricatures to visitors.

While Ou Zai’s artworks will proudly be on display during the upcoming event, Huang paused at the idea of selling any of the creations. 

“Oh, gosh, I have never thought of that,” she says with a laugh. “I guess, if someone wanted to purchase it and display it in their home, we wouldn’t be opposed to that. Because it just seems so cool.”

Aharris@postmedia.com