
Snowy the Rabbit I, 100 x 80 cm, oil on canvas, © 2018 Alexandra Klimas
Born to die.
In the best possible situation, an animal is born and dies after a long and happy life. Unfortunately, that is not the case for every animal. Rabbits in the meat industry are literally born to die. Imagine… you are born: a cute little white ball of fluff. After ten days, you are taken from your mother – much too early. You are put in a small cage with other bunnies. You have very little room to move, less and less as you all grow. At one point, there is no more room to lie down or to move. Your feet hurt, because the wire mesh of the cage floor has severely damaged the soles of your feet. You’re tired, in pain and under a lot of stress. And by the time you are ten weeks old, you weigh 2.5 kilograms. On that day, you are taken to the slaughterhouse. That is your hard truth as a rabbit bred for slaughter.

Snowy the Rabbit II, 100 x 80 cm, oil on canvas, © 2018 Alexandra Klimas
That is your hard truth as a rabbit bred for slaughter. Your mother lives longer than ten weeks. She is used to produce as many young as possible. She bears ten to eleven young at once. And she is impregnated again just ten days after their birth, while she is still nursing her young. After a year, she is replaced by a younger model. To everyone reading this, I would recommend looking into these often-forgotten victims of the livestock industry. Snowy the rabbit in the painting is one of the lucky ones that was saved from being slaughtered. As an artist, I want to call attention to this forgotten group of animals.

Snowy the Rabbit II, 100 x 80 cm, oil on canvas, © 2018 Alexandra Klimas
I’m trying to sketch Snowy the rabbit …
Snowy the Rabbit and other farm animals on show:
Solo exhibition, Alexandra Klimas – Farm Animals
Opening: 13 Jun 2019, 18.00 – 20.00
13 jun 2019 – 9 Jul 2019
Event times Monday to Friday 10 am to 6 pm
By appointment only Cost of entry: Free
Plus One Gallery, Piper Building, Peterborough Road, London
https://www.plusonegallery.com/exhibitions/128/overview/