Journey to Lioness is a series of expressions. It addresses fundamental questions that I have towards the current human society, and show our responces to them in concrete actions as well as artistic media.

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"What is the nature of human animals?"

 

"What is our emerging role as human animals in relation to the other living beings in the eco-system?"
 

In pursuit for my questions, I discovered the "Lion Whisperer," a self-taught animal behaviorist in South Africa, who specializes in lions, hyenas, and leopards. It was absolutely mind blowing to watch his extraordinary bond with his lions (hand raised since as a baby or a cub) on the internet. I couldn't help but flying to South Africa to see him with my eyes and support his cause!

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While most of us presume that lions in the wild are just doing fine, that is a naive assumption. As a matter of fact, wild lion population is at stake. Moreover, captive lions who are hand-raised by humans aren't safe and sound, either. They can be extremely exploited for a tourism and leasure purpose, such as cub-petting and canned hunting industry.

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Danger in survival isn't limited to the lions: also the other living beings around the globe are pushed back to the corners and struggling due to the way we humans have civilized the world and encroached territories of nature.

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Instead of blaming on somebody or a lager system and being entangled with incredibly complex problem solving in the wildlife conservation field, I'm interested in finding out a completely new role and approach to the situations. I decide to contribute to the Lion Whisperer who I believe a living example of my art concept, "human animal." In addition, I simply admire lions and lionesses.