2025 Exhibition: Strange Encounters

Strange Encounters: A Solo Exhibition by Lalana Fedorschak | Schneider Hall Galleries 

January 9-February 13, 2025

Artist Statement: Strange Encounters is a reflection on my interactions with rabbits. Rabbits are prey animals that are very sensitive to changes in their environment. They are extremely nervous and over responsive, exhibiting a ‘freeze and bolt’ response when encountering nearly anything new.

I am particularly interested in the standoff –the moment when a rabbit sees a stranger and freezes in place, trying to avoid detection. I imagine these as moments of icy panic, agonizing indecision, and then, suddenly, a desperate scramble to escape. It’s mesmerizing; their terror is my delight.

Rabbit panic is an embodiment of the anxious mind. Their hypervigilance is not always effective at identifying or responding to threats. Often their panic is what causes them to die, darting right into the road to get pancaked on the asphalt.

Looking closely at rabbits might be about fear. Fear is an instinctive, primal response. It is not always necessary or helpful, but it is a part of the body. Rabbits are small and terrified and vulnerable. I feel tender and protective over them. When I see a scared animal, I see my own scared animal, and I am thinking about them.

Image: Lalana Fedorschak, Startled Rabbit, ceramic and glaze