Are you playing with the cat or the cat with you? 2023.

Speel jy met die kat of die kat met jou? [Are you playing with the cat or the cat with you], 2023. Charcoal and pastel on Fabriano, 500x700mm. Framed. R7500
I created a hybrid of cat, mouse and human in this work. The French philosopher Montaigne (1533-1592) argued that people have an innate capacity for sympathetic imitation (‘copycatting’). However, he did not see it as only a human characteristic, since he viewed animals as also having relationships with each other and greeting each other with joy and demonstration of goodwill.  He made the well-known statement of  ‘if I play with my cat how do I know she is not playing with me?’ Montaigne identified a solipsistic circle of similar behaviour in humans and animals. Humans conduct conversations with themselves as if they are mute, which is animal-like in character.