Reflective Encounters

“The sight of little salamanders rubbing against each other and snacking on their limbs draws a connection between sex and sustenance. At first what seems like vore for axolotls turns into something less seedy and more meditative.

This reflects a deeper theme: the dual need for earthly survival and spiritual transcendence. Such a reading necessitates a view of sex beyond its mechanical functions as a means to procreate, but as a primal expression that is present in all life. There’s a sudden shift in Zoon to potato-shaped people who feast on the axolotls. In the shadowy environs of a dense forest, the material world appears confining, yet teeming with life. However, the presence of ethereal fireflies hints that there may be something more.

As the potato people continue to gorge on the axolotls – absorbing their sensuality as well as their nutrients – they start to float one by one. It is only through this that these floating potato people are able to see beyond the earthly realm of the forest. Yet is this a beautiful tale of transcendence, or is it one of exploitation and, ultimately, self-destruction?”

— Cathy Brennan