David Tate’s cabinet is a striking and dynamic piece that strives to capture an alternate perspective on a bullfight.
Contrasting the dynamism and softness of the flowing pink form that represents the matador’s cape, the solid, dark cabinet stands in defiance, negating the capes movement in a dramatic, frozen moment.
Unlike the usual depictions of a raging bull delirious with aggression, in this representation, the bull embodies a sense of strength and calmness in his refusal to engage in the violence. Subverting our understanding of bullfights, Tate instead highlights bullfighting not as a heroic act on behalf of the matador, but rather a cowardly and vain one, which is orchestrated to inflate our sense of triumph and power.
Drawing on his own experience growing up on a cattle farm and understanding bulls as gentle and peaceful giants, he uses the work to prompt a shift in our understanding of the animal, but also as a symbol to ask the question, what are we prepared to stand against?