Presented off-site by Mandy Zhang Art and guest curated by Joséphine May Bailey, Dolly’s Clinic places Annie Trevorah’s enquiry into aesthetics, bodily modification and the politics of appearance in context of medieval bestiaries and surrealist imaginations.
Referencing the language and rituals of the contemporary beauty industry, Trevorah introduces a meticulously realised aesthetics clinic for animals named after the first cloned mammal. A cast of six matte aluminium sculptures, each enhanced with organic elements, model a range of signature procedures, complete with consultant’s notes and recovery plans. An interactive AR visualisation by multimedia artist Dr Blanca Regina invites viewers to join an exfoliated poodle’s celebration of its smooth new body.
Beneath a playful and humorous surface, the exhibition raises fundamental questions about humanity’s relationship with other species. With Dolly’s Clinic Annie Trevorah challenges the assumption that humans alone possess the authority to determine how other living beings should look, function and evolve, while exploring the contradictions between personal freedoms and external pressures.