Steven Gregory

Description

Throughout Steven Gregory's sculpture there exists a fine balance between humour and social or moral comment. Spike the Dog is no exception to this trend and, as the name suggests, this work plays upon the stereotype of a dog as man's best friend and the idea of a trusted ally in fact being aggressive and monstrous.

Presented as half-dog, half-beast, this work is spilling over with symbolism, on the one hand portraying a friendly, welcoming and lively pet and on the other a snarling, vicious animal. With an outsized crocodile tail, bared vulpine teeth, pink serpent tongue and cold, rough fur, the typical image of a domestic faithful friend is clearly distorted. Though, when noting an endless list of smaller details such as its cocked ear; raised wagging tail; big floppy paws; bright shiny eyes and warm coloured nose, the message behind this sculpture becomes more complex.

Scanning over Spike the Dog it is unclear whether the artist intends this work to be a subtle, visual exercise, testing how many features viewers can pick out or a more obvious moral story. It is interesting however to imagine how differently the dog's postures and mannerisms might have been designed were it for an outdoors location and indeed whether the idea of a 'domesticated animal' might have been conveyed so powerfully.