I was a recipient of the award in 2007. My name is Zhao Renhui and I was from Camberwell College of Arts, studying a Ba(hons) in photography. The research trip allowed me to explore zoos, natural history museums and circuses in Spain. As I am interested in the Zoological gaze, how humans watch animals, the award allowed me to research into the different modes of zoological gaze that we participate in. From circuses with dancing bears to zoos with hyper real environment, all this places offered me a view that was unsettling. The research trip enabled me to embark on a project, The Institute of Critical Zoologists, a fictional art construct of an institute which investigates the contemporary modes of the zoological gaze. This project has been exhibited and performed widely since.
Email: renhui@criticalzoologists.org
Website : www.criticalzoologists.org