Animal charity supports contemporary art exhibition featuring endangered wildlife

Erarta Galleries London, dedicated to showcasing the work of Russian contemporary artists, is presenting an exhibition of pop art and graffiti-inspired paintings of endangered animals, supported by leading animal welfare charity the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW).

Erarta Galleries London in Berkeley Street, Mayfair, will be showing Exposed by St Petersburg artist Katya Krasnaya between 10 April and 23 May, 2015.

The exhibition is supported by IFAW, which has projects in more than 40 countries and rescues individual animals, works to prevent cruelty to animals and campaigns for the protection of wildlife and habitats.

As well as a variety of ongoing projects in the UK, IFAW is currently also engaged with a number of important campaigns in Russia. For example, IFAW has been working with local partners to release six Amur tigers into the wild in forests in the far east of the country, runs the Orphan Bear Rescue Centre and carries out scientific observational research on critically endangered western gray whales and threatened beluga whales.

The organisers of Exposed say the exhibition aims to bring particular focus to the ever-narrowing gap between rural and urban landscapes and habitats, and is a contemporary reaction to conservation in a constantly developing world.

The artist, Katya Krasnaya, has used contemporary pop art and graffiti spray-painting coupled with fine art techniques, and animal portraits include the rare Amur tiger, beluga whale, hawksbill sea turtle, rhino and polar bear.

UK Director of IFAW, Philip Mansbridge, said: “We’re very pleased to be supporting the Exposed exhibition at Erarta Galleries, to raise awareness of endangered animals in Russia and worldwide.

“The pictures are a contemporary interpretation of some of the world’s most recognisable but vulnerable animals.

“I hope visitors will enjoy the striking images, and feel strongly about protecting the real animals in the wild, and their threatened habitats.”

Katya Krasnaya added: “Almost everything inspires me. I divide my inspiration into types.  The first one is natural, when you see all the shapes of our planet, from animals to hurricanes.”

The exhibition will run between Friday 10 April and Saturday 23 May, 2015. For more details please visit www.erartagalleries.com.

To find out more about IFAW’s work please visit www.ifaw.org.