For decades, pit bulls have been demonized by society and portrayed as hellhounds. They’ve become the most feared, hated, and abused of all companion animals. Some cities and even entire countries ban them, while the media persist in associating them with viciousness. This unjust reputation has sealed the fate of millions of dogs, who face prejudice around the world, languish in shelters where they are the most euthanized. In the U.S. alone, hundreds of thousands of pit bulls are euthanized every year.
Since 2014, Sophie Gamand has been taking photographs of adoptable pit bulls from all around the United States. Many had been waiting for homes for years. The portraits celebrate these dogs’ inherent personality, vulnerability, and individuality and have not only led to hundreds of dogs finding loving, forever homes, but have spurred efforts to destigmatize an animal whose reputation for violence says more about humans than the characters of the dogs themselves.
Artist Bios
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Sophie Gamand
We claim dogs are our best friends. But are we really acting like theirs?
Originally from France, Sophie moved to New York City in 2010. There, she began a passionate quest to better understand dogs and their place in human societies. Photography (portraiture and documentary) became her main means of exploring that world. Portraiture in particular, had always been a way for Sophie to create intimacy with her subjects. Battling social anxiety, Sophie found in dogs a more natural relationship, not encumbered by words and misunderstanding. Or so she thought.
Soon, she stepped into the world of animal shelters, and uncovered the many ways in which dogs are misunderstood and silenced. Not just in the world of rescue, but in our daily lives as well. Working with dogs meant she had a responsibility to serve the most vulnerable of them, and help humans become better guardians. This led Sophie on a journey to not only photograph thousands of shelter dogs around the United States, including for her world-renowned project Pit Bull Flower Power, but also to get involved with communities around the world, photographing free-ranging dogs in rural Ecuador or Moldova, or those trapped in the dog meat trade in South Korea where she created an impactful awareness campaign.
Sophie leveraged her incredibly popular Wet Dog and Pit Bull Flower Power series, which garnered large social media followings, to shine a light on at-risk dogs around the world, and raise funds for the nonprofits that care for them.
After over a decade in rescue advocacy, Sophie became ordained as an animal chaplain, to further her commitment to dogs and humans in a way that combines her art and purpose. Now living in Los Angeles, she is focusing on her multidisciplinary art career and dreams of exhibits bridging art with science and other disciplines. Her topics of interest are rooted in ecofeminism, highlighting the intersection between the way we treat our natural world (with dogs as a magnifier) and women or other vulnerable groups. These days, you will find her at the ceramic studio, creating hand-stitched embroideries, cyanotypes, paintings, or all sorts of installations. And of course, at the local shelter where she hosts an emotional support group for volunteers, and still photographs adoptable dogs.
Organizations
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The Seaport
The Seaport is New York City’s original neighborhood, a maritime hub of history, culture, entertainment, and dining, located along the East River in Lower Manhattan. The neighborhood celebrates emerging and resident artists, local organizations, and community connectivity through its curated events & activations, including its public art program, Seaport Arts.
Pit Bull Flower Power
Featuring: Sophie Gamand
Locations
View Location Details The South Street Seaport19 & 23 Fulton Street, as well as windows on the corner of Fulton & Front Streets
New York, NY 10038
The views and opinions expressed in this exhibit are those of the exhibition artists and partners and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of Photoville or any other participants and partners of the Photoville Festival.
