AppId is over the quota
It is not hard to argue that we live in a youth-centric culture, one in which young age and beauty are almost synonymous. And that obsession does not end with humans. Puppies and kittens melt hearts; images and videos of baby animals flood the Internet. But rarely does an image of an animal in old age ignite the same interest and adoration.
In an unusual project, Isa Leshko, a fine-art photographer who lives in Philadelphia, set out to capture glimpses of animals at a time when they rarely attract much admiration or media attention — in their twilight years. The photographs, part of a series called “Elderly Animals”, are intimate and at times gripping. In one, a thoroughbred horse named Handsome One, age 33, stands in a stable, his hair wispy and his frame showing signs of time. In another, a pair of Finn sheep at the advanced age of 12 embrace as an elderly couple on a park bench might. And in another, a geriatric chow mix named Red lies with his paw under his chin, the signs of glaucoma apparent in his onyx-colored eyes.
“There definitely have been animals that I’ve cried while photographing, or after,” Ms. Leshko said. “The animals that have been abused or neglected before they were placed in a sanctuary really move me the most.”
Ms. Leshko was inspired to carry out her project after spending a year caring for her mother, who has Alzheimer’s disease and is now in a nursing home. She considered documenting the experience through pictures but soon decided against it. “A number of fine-art photographers have gone that route and produced really powerful work,” she said. “It just didn’t feel like the appropriate response for me. I didn’t think my mother could provide consent, and I wanted to be present as her daughter and caregiver.”
Later, Ms. Leshko found her outlet while visiting a relative in New Jersey, where she came across a blind 35-year-old horse named Petey. “I was just completely mesmerized by this animal,” she said. “I spent the afternoon photographing him. When I reviewed my film I began to realize that I had a means of exploring my feelings around aging and my mother’s illness.”
“On a personal level, I’ve been terrified of aging after dealing with my mother’s situation,” Ms. Leshko said. “My grandmother on my mother’s side also had dementia. I’m terrified of developing this disease. And I think that this project has been a way for me to immerse myself in that fear and try to better understand and make peace with aging.”
She crisscrossed the country, visiting sanctuaries and documenting a variety of geriatric animals — artistic therapy that proved tough both financially and emotionally. Two weeks ago she was awarded a fellowship from the Houston Center for Photography. Her work will go on exhibit there in April.
She has also found moments of brightness. While visiting one sanctuary in upstate New York, she met a subject named Teresa, a 13-year-old Yorkshire pig that had been slated for slaughter at a factory farm but was rescued from an overcrowded three-tier truck. “The pigs were rescued, but they had a hard time getting them off the truck,” she said. “They were overweight. Their joints were swollen. They were dehydrated.”
On the farm that day, as Ms. Leshko zoomed in with her camera, Teresa appeared full of zest and, she said, seemed to relish the moment. “If they hadn’t told me her story, I would never have guessed the trauma she experienced,” said Ms. Leshko, a vegan. “She had a very peaceful day. She was bathing herself and lying in the grass and basking in the sunlight. That really tripped me up, to see this creature that had suffered so much in her life finding a moment of happiness.”
You can view more photos at Ms. Leshko’s Web site, which also contains a short documentary by Mark and Angela Walley about her “Elderly Animals” project.
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