Animal Kingdom: Instinct, Symbolism and the Contemporary Gaze - Jurying an International Exhibition
Animals have occupied the human imagination since the earliest forms of visual expression. They appear across cultures as companions and protectors, symbols of power and vulnerability, embodiments of instinct, and figures through which we often project something of ourselves.
This enduring relationship provided the context for Animal Kingdom, the Online Competition & Group Exhibition presented by CEV Art Gallery, for which I had the pleasure of serving as a member of the gallery's Juror Panel in 2026.
What made the experience particularly engaging was the breadth of interpretation within a seemingly familiar subject. The animal figure can be approached through observation and realism, transformed through abstraction, invested with symbolic meaning, or used as a vehicle for narratives extending far beyond the natural world itself.
Within this diversity, the task of evaluation became one of recognizing intention. A technically accomplished representation can command attention through precision and sensitivity, while another work may derive its strength from atmosphere, gesture, unexpected composition, or the transformation of a recognizable creature into something psychological or metaphorical.
For me, this was one of the most interesting aspects of Animal Kingdom: seeing how individual artists moved beyond the simple depiction of an animal to establish a distinctive relationship between subject, medium, and artistic voice.
Looking Beyond the Subject
A strong thematic exhibition is not created merely by assembling works that correspond literally to its title. The theme provides a point of departure; what matters is what the artist does with it.
During the jury process, I therefore found it important to consider how convincingly each work developed its own visual identity. Originality, artistic quality, technical execution, emotional presence, and connection to the exhibition concept all contributed to the broader assessment.
The experience also reinforced something fundamental to jury work: very different artistic languages must be allowed to exist on their own terms. A photograph cannot be approached as a painting, nor should a highly detailed figurative work automatically be privileged over an experimental or conceptual interpretation. Each requires attention to what it sets out to achieve and how successfully its chosen language supports that intention.
A Continuing Collaboration
Following the completion of the exhibition process, I was honored to receive a Certificate of Participation from CEV Art Gallery, in acknowledgment of my service as a Juror for Animal Kingdom.
The recognition holds particular meaning within my continuing collaboration with the gallery, as my participation in its jury program has allowed me to encounter an increasingly broad spectrum of contemporary practices and artists from different backgrounds.
I would like to thank Chantelle Fulce, Founder and Curator of CEV Art Gallery, for her continued trust and for recognizing my contribution to the jury process.
Animal Kingdom ultimately reminded me of why the animal presence remains so persistent within art. Animals allow us to look outward toward nature while simultaneously turning inward—toward instinct, memory, emotion, mythology, vulnerability, and identity.
Perhaps this is why they continue to fascinate artists across generations: we observe them, interpret them, transform them into symbols—and, somewhere within that process, inevitably reveal something about ourselves.
Annita Apostolidou Platis
Visual Artist · Curatorial Essayist · Fashion & Jewelry Designer
© 2026 Annita Apostolidou Platis. All rights reserved.