Lisa Roet
“Pri-Mates is a research based, visual arts project which began 12 years ago and is based on material gathered from popular culture, residencies held in major international zoos, first hand observations of scientific studies at ape research centers and my own study of apes living in the forests of Borneo. Pri-Mates has been developed into a multi-art form body of work incorporating sculpture, photography, drawing and multimedia.
Pri-mates represents my investigation into genetic similarities that exist between humans and other primates, involving issues of language and communication and the point at which humankind is both alienated from and joined to the animal kingdom.
In 2003 I was awarded the National Gallery of Australia/Macquarie Bank National Sculpture Prize for a work titled Political Ape, and in 2005 the McClelland Prize for Sculpture where traditional sculpture techniques are combined with new technology to create a work reflecting the political nature of mankind seen through the eyes of our nearest animal relative, the chimpanzee.”
(Lisa Roet 2006)
