Ruff drafts: Art exhibition for dogs shows the world from the canine perspective
Ruan van Vliet and Teasie the dog at the Hen's Teeth art exhibition for dogs
It's felt that I've been letting the title of Dog Dad go to my head a little, in the six months since we got Molli, the two-year-old Collie-Saluki cross that completed our family this July. From dressing her up as Bet Lynch for Halloween to buying her Irish-made, organic Christmas gifts in July, my parents- who've taken her to their hearts quicker than they ever did me, thought I'd really taken the (doggy) biscuit when I announced I was taking Molli to Exhibition for Dogs in Henâs Teeth Studio in Dublin 8.Â
Curated by Ruan van Vliet (with a little help from his mutt, Teasie) the show was a mixture of seaside cut-outs, an interactive play area, and van Vliet's own illustrations -think funny, colourful and, by his own words, naive pictures that capture the world from a dog's POV.
"I got Teasie almost a year ago," van Vliet tells me the day the exhibition opens. "My girlfriend was working in Prague at the time. It was just me and my teenage Schnauzer Poodle, 24/7. All I could really think about was dog dog dog dog dog. So when Hens Teeth contacted me to talk about doing an exhibition in 2022 it was the first thing that popped into my headâ.
He had to bring his dog to the first meeting with the gallery as she didn't like being left alone. âAnd the ideas just grew from there. When I pitched it to the lads we just knew it would be a big hit. I guess they liked the silly aspect of it."
âThat the idea was pretty silly and absurd, and it made us all laugh right off the bat, was a good starting point, â says Rosie Gogan Keogh, who co-owns Hens Teeth with her husband, Greg Spring. âItâs been a tricky year to navigate, so, this felt like a pretty perfect exhibition to sign the year off on. A reminder of why we started this thing in the first place. There is a playfulness that runs through our work, so this show was a snug fit. Ruan has this incredible, subtle sense of humor that makes his work so special. There was just a chorus of laughter as folks entered the space. That felt pretty niceâ.
They didnât set out on the journey to run a traditional gallery. âIt just felt like that wasnât where we were going to best pitch in and add to the country's artistic landscape. Galleries can be intimidating places for some people, but I love how with a show like this those barriers are broken down and folks barrel into the space laughing and joking.â.
Their target audience was literally pissing themselves on opening night. âThere were a few pups that were shooting from the hip, pee-wise, as is a dogâs prerogative. So there was a fair bit of cleaning up after our guests, â laughs Rosie. âYou tend to get less of that with humans. But we had complimentary poo bags on hand!â Once they came up with the idea they started thinking about how they could make the show more appealing to our four-legged friends. Art was hung at knee height, so dogs wouldnât have to crane their snouts to look down on it. Noel Feeney built a Crufts-like agility area, featuring a see-saw, podium, a hoop to jump through, and a dog tunnel. While swag- such as bandanas and chains were designed by the award-winning designer Saileog O'Halloran, and were available for purchase from the gift pound.
Not all of their plans came to fruition. "A good 50% of any walk is spent sniffing the arses of other dogs so I really wanted to represent that by building a fiberglass dogâs bum for them," says van Vliet. "But that ultimately ended up being too expensive.
He also admits he didnât do much to interrogate the artistic appetites of canines, but rather imagined how Teasie would view the world on her adventures around the town. âWe have one picture of a cat with two broken legs which would be like heaven for a dog. Another features all the random street food on our capitalâs streets for dogs to enjoy that I never noticed until I had a dog of my own who stops to sniff and peck at chicken bones (and other fast food detritus) .â While continuing the booty theme, another features a postmanâs bared arse.
A big inspiration for van Vliet' was the types of posterâs he imagined Teasie might have on the walls of her bedroom if she were to have one. To illustrate this thought the exhibition features a cage with miniature versions of the prints attached to it for smaller dogs to enjoy.
On opening night, Molli wasnât that keen to enter the cage, veterinary nightmares, and flashbacks to the pound flashing through her mind, though she was comforted by the artist's mutual derision of cats, with âno catsâ insignia gracing the ground. And like most openings in art galleries, the focus was on who was there than on the art, though the brown-nosing was taken a little more literally than usual. But the canine presence presented a handy conversation starter for owners, without the pressure of it being insightful about the art at hand, making it a Mission Accomplished for Hens Teeth.
- Ruanâs prints are open edition, fine art prints so will be on sale for the foreseeable future, as well as a small run of bandanas and pin badges at https://www.hensteethstore.com/collections/art
Ever since we got the baby, the stress of a night away from home almost negates the joy of the experience. Thankfully The Kingsley Hotel in Cork has tailored an experience at their dog-friendly hotel that caters to both man and mutt. Their Paws & Unwind stay offers a welcome bag on arrival and a bed, bowl, blanket, and towel in each room https://www.thekingsley.ie/dog-friendly-stays/Â
My poor mother turned as puce as our couch when she saw Molli's big butt parked on her brand new sofa. So she'd lose her life if she were to ever accompany us to The Anglers Bar Restaurant, Carrigrohane who roll out the couch for our furry friends. They provide specially designed chairs and a plate of bacon for your cur to chow on while you devour your own grub.
As a dog dad, one of your biggest concerns is that your pup won't be as sound as you are. Thankfully the good folks at Top Barkz Canine School run play dates at the Marina Market to ensure that your pup can learn how to socialize with other dogs, all under the watchful eye of a dog trainer.
Top Barkz are also throwing a Christmas Paw-ty, with a Christmas Wonderland, pawty trick lessons and sniffing out the Grinch's hidden treats.
Some of my happiest Crimbo memories are of being brought to Santa as a child. Thankfully The Marina Market doesn't discriminate so I can recreate those memories with my pup at Santa's Magical Market, also at the Marina. Throw a Santa hat, antlers, or Santy jumper on your pooch and take him to howl at the big man.
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