Eve Leibe Gallery - London, UK

Installation Images of Virtual Gallery designed by Studio Tarn

Eve Leibe Gallery and Lauren Powell are pleased to present Cave Canem, a group exhibition that celebrates the  unique bond that humans have long shared with dogs. 

Canines have been portrayed in artworks for over 18,000 years, bearing witness to the evolution of our  relationship starting from the wild beginnings of domesticating wolves during the Bronze Age to the extensive  variety of 75 million canine companions kept as pets today. The second-century Pompeian mosaic, Cave Canem  presents a ferocious dog with teeth snarling while restrained by a leash, a clear warning that anyone who may  enter must beware of a dangerous dog beyond the gate. As time passed, dogs were portrayed as hunters, as  symbols of guidance, loyalty and fidelity, as status symbols on the laps of the elite, and now, often personified as  sole subjects themselves. No longer a compliment to our own species, but an entity all their own. What started  as physical protection has morphed into a psychologically and emotionally supportive one. 

In this past year of Covid, our relationships with dogs have, for many, surpassed our relationships with humans  as we stay socially distanced and isolated. These companion relationships fill our existential void brought on by  the increasingly urbanized and globalized western society. But what do they think of us, and how can we know  when we use different languages of communication? Homer’s Odyssey tells the story of Odysseus raising a dog  named Argos - the only living being who recognized him when returning home from many years of travels.  Where a human sees only the surface, the dog sees within. Dogs SEE us, but beware - CAVE CANEM - they  might steal our hearts, and this show offers a contemporary exploration of the representation of our four legged friends. 

FULL LIST OF ARTISTS 
Adrian Schachter Rich | Aiste Stancikaitė | Andrew Jilka  | Beau Gabriel | Benjamin Cabral | Caroline Jacobson | Cindy Bernhard | Claire Milbrath | Conor Murgatroyd | Daniel Morowitz | David Fernandes | Deborah Walker | Deja Patterson | Dominic Dispirito | Drew Dodge | Farrell Mason | Grace Stott | Gracelee Lawrence | James Lincoln | Joris Bochman | Katelyn Ledford | Katie Kimmel | Krystalyn Jade | Lauren Carly Shaw | Lucy Evetts | Lukas Luzius Leichtle | Marco La Rocca | Margot Bird | Mark Connolly | Mark Zubrovich | Maurizio Bongiovanni | Michael Fink | Michael Hambouz | Minami Kobayashi | Nate Pack | Nell Brookfield | Nicolas Romero | Oda Iselin | Ralf Kokke | Ralph Middleton | Robert Roest | Ryan Michael Ford | Sarah Grass | Sarah Thibault | Scott Isenbarger | Sebastian Notre | Signe Ralkov | Stephen Morrison | Tsai-Ling Tseng

CAVE CANEM co-curated by @eveleibegallery & Lauren Powell, is a collaborative project that was born during the pandemic involving a curator, a gallerist and an architect, each bound at home with their furry friend. Aimed at analysing and highlighting the companionship between humans and dogs during a time of social distancing, CAVE CANEM is a visual and emotional support to us all, but it also explores digital and physical enclosed spaces - from homes to art galleries - and natural outdoor settings.
The gallery, which was uniquely designed for this exhibition, blurs the boundary between what is modern - such as a virtual art gallery - and what is natural - such as woven canvas painted by the artist or a blade of grass. We assembled a home for our furry friends in these works while allowing visitors from all over the world to step out of their apartment and get into a play on the natural world, awakening the biophile in us all.
Gallery design by @studiotarn