DOGGED BY CONTROVERSY Words Steven Hounsome

The West Australian Perth – The Wire Lift Out

A giant kneeling man with the head of a dog and a 41 cm penis is likely to turn heads in any setting, but when he is situated on a Sydney street, near a childcare centre, it can spark a furore. Such was the discovery of artistic duo Gillie and Marc Schattner.

‘We had complaints from all around the world,” Marc says. “The people and the newspapers came out … people argued it was pornography, but nudity has been in art for a long time.’

Perth audiences will have a chance to judge the work for themselves when it is exhibited in WA as part of a themed exhibition – The Dog In Us All. The selection of paintings and sculputures all feature man’s best friend behaving in a decidedly human way; juggling balls, smoking cigars, or trudging besuited to work in a manner reminiscent of John Brack’s Collins Street 5pm.But it is a far cry from the art of William Wegman where canines are anthropomorphised purely for comic effect.

‘When we witness the devastation that man can cause to his environment and his fellow man, we think it’s of crucial importance to show another side of humanity,’Gillie explains. ‘We’ve given the dogs human personalities to show they’re the humans we want to be,’