Handimals come to Istanbul

ISTANBUL

With his paintings on hand, the artist advocates for increased sensitivity toward endangered animals. AA photo

“Handimals,” an exhibit by Italian artist Daniele Guido, who supports endangered animals by painting animal figures on hands, will come to Istanbul’s Beylikdüzü Migros Shopping Mall between Jan. 2 and 15, 2013. It will be the artist’s first exhibition in Turkey.

Guido, who advocates for increased sensitivity toward endangered animals, will be in the city for the opening of the exhibition. He will paint Turkish model Deniz Akkaya’s hand at the event.

It takes 1 to 10 hours for Guido to paint a hand in his studio in Milan, where he has been working since the 1990s. The artist, 61, also paints bodies, makes illustrations and takes photographs.

“Everyday a species of animal or plant, which are necessary for ecological balance, vanishes in the world. We all see it and do nothing. This is why I am trying to raise awareness by drawing animal figures on human hands,” said Guido, a known as an animal rights activist,

Born in Soverato, Italy, Guido graduated from the Brera School of Arts in 1972, majoring in sculpture, before attending the Tankas school in Dharamsala, India until 1974. He has worked as a hyper-realistic illustrator with many large promotional and advertising corporations throughout the world.