Faculty of Art

Photography

Haosu Pei

Inushima

"Inushima", means dogs' island in Japanese. This work contains a sequence shot in butterfly park, Toronto. It invites people to think of their relationship with the urban space, their lives within this concrete jungle, and the conflict of being contained in a closed urban environment.

“Inushima is a photographic project that explores the complex relationship between urban spaces, freedom and restrictions, and the lives of people living in the city. The project takes its name from the Japanese words "inu" meaning dog and "shima" meaning island, which symbolize the sense of isolation and confinement that many city dwellers experience in their daily lives.Through its metaphor for the human experience of the city, Inushima offers a nuanced and thought-provoking exploration of the complex relationship between people and their urban environment. It invites viewers to consider the ways in which urban spaces both enable and restrict human freedom and to reflect on the challenges and possibilities of urban life in the 21st century.”