By Devonne Tourre, Asst. Digital Media Editor
British artist Sue Coe, whose work features commentary on social justice issues, debuted her work on Jan.26 in Lore Degenstein Gallery.
The exhibition features pieces that focus on a variety of subjects including Donald Trump, animal slaughter, abortion, AIDS, bombings and court trials.
Coe said that she typically works quickly, using the example of “It Can Happen Here (Trump),” which was done the week before Trump was elected.
“I do a very quick turnaround on my work–I’m used to it,” Coe said. “I’ve worked on newspapers and magazines since age 16… That’s how I love to work.”
“I honed that technique and now I love the elegance of black and white,” Coe explained.
While most pieces are in black and white, some works use the color red to emphasize the subject. Only one of the pieces included in the exhibition, titled “Second Millennium,” is in full color. Coe’s work also features print making on pages of the Bible.
Coe also noted her personal reasons for using wood as a medium in artwork.
“Wood is phenomenal because I live in… this area where its fracking pipeline went through,” Coe said. “They took down a lot of cherry trees, which broke my heart… The trees were cut down, so I wanted to honor the trees.”
Coe added that she became involved with animal rights early on in her childhood.
“I was living next to a slaughterhouse,” Coe said. “I used to go in and draw when I was a child, because I was their neighbor and I wanted to know what was going on.”
Coe also emphasized her intensity for animal rights.
“If I haven’t made you a vegan, I’ve failed you,” Coe said. “I want to know why I failed you, how can I do better.”
Coe further highlighted her vision and how she views the world we all live in.
“If I’m sitting on a beach and it’s beautiful; the sun’s setting… I would see the floating oil barrel off in the distance,” Coe said. “If I were to ignore that, it would be the most terrible state for me.”
“So I’m inspired by… artists in history that want to paint that oil barrel and not the sparkling water,” Coe continued. “That gives me hope. If someone else sees that and wants to stop it, that’s hopeful.”
“If I didn’t have hope, I wouldn’t be doing this work,” Coe said.
Coe additionally presented her series on AIDS and spoke about the importance of remembering the past.
“[The full collection] is in Yale Medical School to educate students who have not seen the AIDS pandemic,” Coe said.
“When I was a freshman here, I did a lot of research into torture and the morality of torture in my Philosophy class and it was a subject I was very heavily invested in,” Junior Deon Robinson said.
“Some of her messages hold more [clear] vegan undertones, which I am excited about, because I do like that people are concerned about animals, but my concern comes with the fact that I believe that some people are more concerned about actual animals and the animal conscience more than [the human] conscience,” Robinson continued. “That’s why I take some issue with some of her [work].”
To attendees at the opening, Coe offered advice to artists: “The content has to be the engine that pushes the technique. The content creates the form, always. If the content is right, then the form will follow.”
The exhibition will be on display in the Lore Degenstein Gallery through Mar. 6.
