CYRUS MEJÍA

Address

P.O. Box 33 Kanab Ut. 84741

Contact

http://cyrusmejia.com

http://ravensheartgallery.com

CYRUS MEJÍA

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    I believe art can and should play an activist role in society. Art can grab one’s attention and shine a bright light into dark and hidden corners. What happens to homeless pets in shelters is a dark corner that I hope to illuminate with The 575 Project.

    Today the number of animals killed in shelters is much lower - around 3-4 million. This is still unacceptable!

    PURCHASE INQUIRES
    Installation view Russell Senate Rotunda
    Installation view, San Mateo County History Museum
    Migration of 575 Good Souls, ceramic and cancelled rabies tags
    Migration (detail)
    Migration (detail)
    575 Candles Blown Out, catfood cans, wax, candle wicks
    575 Candles Blown Out, catfood cans, wax, candle wicks
    Empty Nest, Shelter Cage Cards, plexiglas rods, stainless steel cage
    Empty Nest
    Empty Nest (detail)
    Empty Nest (detail)
    I Saved A life (installation view)
    I Saved A Life, photos of rescued pets
    I Saved A Life, Woodcut
    I Saved A Life, rescue stories
    575 Reasons, pencil on rice paper
    575 Reasons (detail)
    575 Reasons (detail)
    Disposable Pets, rusted pet food cans
    Disposable Pets (detail)
    Carry Me Home, wood with 575 dog collars from shelters
    Carry Me Home
    15 Minutes, oil stick and acrylic in archival plastic envelopes
    Home at Last, Oil on canvas on wood with RFI chips, reader and laptop computer
    3 to 5, Ink on Rice Paper, wooden frame
    3to5 detail
    3 to 5 (detail)
    Working on Home At Last
    Working on 575 Reasons
    Working on Home At Last
    Working on Home At Last
    Working on Home At Last
    Working on Home At Last
    Working on Home At Last
    Installing Migration of 575 Good Souls
    Home at Last (initial drawing)
    Working on 15 Minutes
    Working on 15 Minutes

    2000 - 2005

    In the year 2000 about five million unwanted pets were killed in U.S. shelters. That’s 13,800 every day, or 575 dogs and cats killed every hour! I conceived The 575 Project to call attention to this unacceptable reality. Each piece in The 575 Project is a memorial to the 575 unwanted pets who are killed each hour.

    Physical objects can become emotionally "charged" and trigger forgotten feelings. The materials I used in creating The 575 Project are things ordinarily associated with dogs and cats – such as collars, tags and pet food cans. I collected 575 of each object and created a piece of art from each collection. Many of these objects came from animal shelters around the country and have a direct and tangible connection to animals who have been destroyed.

    Using the traditional mediums of drawing, painting, assemblage and ceramics, as well as performance, The 575 Project gives form to the idea that killing is not an acceptable solution to the overpopulation of domestic animals.

    575 PROJECT

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