Study of a theriocide, 2023, pastel, charcoal and pencil on paper
A bucolic existence, 2023, digital video
A study of mud, 2023, digital video
This work emanated from images circulated after a period of severe flooding in the Gulf of Carpentaria, Queensland region in 2019. The photos depicted piles of dead bodies of cows, bulls and calves, that were barely discernible from the mud and soil of the landscape which they had become mired in. These were among half a million as well as numerous uncounted native animals that were sacrificed under extreme weather conditions.
‘Theriocide’ was a term coined by Piers Beirne to refer to actions caused by humans that lead to the death of animals, including indirect actions via climate change. As the Carpentaria region continues to flood and as long as cattle farming continues to be its main source of industry, we have and will continue to witness more of these senseless deaths.
Cows and bulls are venerated in India, and the consumption of beef is taboo. Across the globe however, and in Australia particularly, cattle farming continues to have a significant place in our agriculture, despite its costly environmental impact. In an ironic twist of words, cattle farming has become Australia’s ‘sacred cow’. This work challenges the bucolic imagery of cows in a pastoral landscape, and asks us to examine the rights of these sentient creatures and our responsibilities towards them.
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Yeehwan Yeoh was born in Malaysia, migrating to Australia in 2000. She currently resides on Gamaragal country and would like to acknowledge its Traditional Owners; and the dispossession of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, Indigenous and marginalised communities around the world. Yee’s work investigates cultural and environmental issues in the age of the Anthropocene.