Three Tired Tigers, a thought-provoking exhibition presenting works by over 40 artists and collectives, invites visitors to explore cities and landscapes from a four-legged perspective. Drawing from politics, history, economics, and urbanism, the show delves into human-animal relationships in these shared spaces. Curated by Lucas Morin, the exhibition is on display at Jameel Arts Centre until 16 March 2025.
The show comprises five sections, each tracing encounters between animals and the urban environment. The first gallery, The Zoo and the Museum, examines institutions that manage, control, and classify animals. Here, one can watch Palestinian artist Noor Abuarafeh’s film Am I the Ageless Object at the Museum? (2018), which focuses on the zoo and its historical relation to the museum and draws parallels between museums and cemeteries.
The second gallery, On the Street, centres on stray animals, revealing unexpected networks of care and coexistence. Emirati artist Khalid Jauffer’s For Cats Only (2024) responds to the challenges faced by Dubai’s street cats, who rely on human kindness despite laws that penalise those who help them. Jauffer’s project features shelters disguised as street furniture, offering refuge to these animals while protecting them from unwanted attention.
In The Palace and the Public Square, animals embody power, values, and history. Among the exhibits is Iraqi artist Kadhim Hayder’s painting Fatigued Ten Horses Converse with Nothing (1965), which centres horses (rather than their riders) as symbols of martyrdom and resilience. Meanwhile, Chilean-born artist Pilar Quinteros showcases her Tigres Prestidigitadores (Conjuror Tigers) (2019), playfully critiquing how animals serve as symbols of national prestige. Her inflatable sculptures of Santiago’s iconic bronze lions reference colonial legacies and political narratives.
At the City’s Edges looks at animals like dogs, pigeons, and rats, which challenge the human monopoly over urban spaces. Photographer Sammy Baloji’s installation Essay on Urban Planning (2013) examines colonial legacies in Lubumbashi (the DR Congo). Through aerial cityscapes juxtaposed with images of mosquito specimens from the National Museum of Lubumbashi, Baloji highlights the “sanitary belt”, a green barrier imposed by Belgian colonists in 1910 to segregate white Europeans from Black Congolese under the pretext of malaria prevention.
The final section, The Sky, explores the paradox of freedom and control in human-dominated ecosystems. Emirati artist Farah Al Qasimi’s photograph Falcon Hospital 2 (Blue Glove) (2016) captures a falcon handled by a veterinarian in Abu Dhabi. While falcons symbolise national pride and freedom in the UAE, their commodification within a regulated trade underscores the tension between nature and human intervention.
To get more information about Three Tired Tigers, please go to the official web page of the exhibition.
While at Jameel Arts Centre, you might also be interested in visiting Playscape: I Dreamt of a City Everyone Calls Home, an interactive playground suitable for all ages.
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