About the Exhibit
To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Center for Great Apes, “Primate Paintings + Portraits,” a series of art exhibits are scheduled. Among the diverse array of enrichment initiatives the apes enjoy, painting stands as a particularly intriguing endeavor. Each exhibit features different art by the apes. The photos in this blog focus on the November exhibit at Tripping Animals Brewing.
Tripping Animals Brewing custom-crafted three beers to mark the 30th anniversary of the Center for Great Apes. You can read about the collaboration in Forbes. The beers are named after the apes who did the art that is featured on the labels. The drawing of the ape sis by David Leon.
This unusual series of exhibits, titled “Primate Paintings + Portraits,” casts a spotlight on the artistic expressions of select orangutans and chimpanzees who live at the Center for Great Apes. Notable contributors include Bubbles, the chimpanzee who once graced Michael Jackson’s life as a pet, and Sandra, the orangutan from Argentina who attained the unique status of legal personhood. As their brushstrokes grace the canvas, these primate artists offer us a glimpse into their world, sharing their individual stories through the strokes of color and form.
In addition to the art by the apes, Miami artists Pedro Rodriguez (@elpedro), Johana Jiménez (@Lillacras) and Isabel Romer (@PichiRomer) have recreated the labels onto a huge 7’8″ tall by 13′ wide (and 6″ wide) upcycled cold storage aluminum panels. The panels, from the brewery’s cold storage unit, were coated in white acrylic before Rodriguez, Jiménez and Romer went to work on their individual apes. Rodriguez painted orangutan Keagan, Romer painted chimpanzee Jacob and Jiménez, who creatively used bubble wrap to create the pattern on the arms and legs, painted chimpanzee Bubbles. The massive panel will be on display at Tripping Animals Brewing.
Enrichment activities are created and managed by the dedicated caregivers at the Center for Great Apes. The following caregivers were instrumental in this art exhibit. Special thanks to them for all they do every day: Tammy Buhrmester, Mandy Chorman, Jessie Farrington, Sydney Kolpien, Daileen Grega, Elizabeth Fochtman, Shannon Snead.
Note: The photos above of the art are not necessarily a true representation of the colors of the art. Smartphones and computer screens have different digital displays and color output.
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