Ratland: Fairytales for Adults

The "Rat" Series by Irina Azarenkova Russian-Canadian artist Irina Azarenkova's latest series "Rats" is a whimsical, light-hearted depiction of the long-tailed creatures in human situations that also serves as a metaphor for our transient, often hedonistic existence. Azarenkova's fascination with rats' complex, human-like qualities first developed when she lived in New York City. In this series, her rats are often drinking wine and leisurely enjoying life in a variety of contexts, often in tropical settings inspired by the artist's travels in Latin America. Azarenkova's observations of human nature also draw on her own background in Russia, using the rats as symbols of political, religious and aristocratic power. A common theme running through these works is the quest for meaning, symbolised by the dominance of the sky and some of the rats' upward gaze, in search perhaps of a higher purpose than consumption and pleasure.