Angelos Tzortzinos, Greek
The bodies of goats at the edge of a road on Rhodes on Tuesday, 2023
Amidst devastating fires on the island of Rhodes in Greece, Angelos Tzortzinis aptly captures the systems of ecological violence which threatens our companion species. Just as roadkill are delegated to the outskirts of roadways as we avert our eyes and drive past, the goats are sprawled on the edge of the road, unable to outrun the fire at their backs. While we could avert our eyes and ignore the agonizing nature of the piece, Tzortzinis forces the viewer to truly see each goat in death. Two goats are draped upon each other, appearing to seek comfort from each other. The farthest goat is alone and is curled towards the wall, its face bent away in its own pain. The viewer is forced to consider the stark suffering of nonhuman species in environmental devastation, with the photograph asking us to not avert our eyes. Not this time. Label by Eliza Madison