And you thought fur coats were bad?

A shimmering taupe grey fish, most of its scaled exterior cloaked in mottled feathers, is proudly balanced on two equally ashen chicken legs. Encapsulated in the shadowy black and white print, this is another of Michiko Kon’s enthralling images. His mixed media compositions– consisting of ‘recycled’ materials such as bones, feathers, flowers and dead animal portions – formed his contribution to the ‘Imag(in)ing the West’ exhibition. Asia and the West fuse together in the graphic display to create an awkward mutation of exploitation and fashion. Shrimp studded high heels; fish tail embellished hats and clawed jackets form the shocking evidence of his message – how humans misuse and abuse animals in order to sustain their own requirements. A coat, adorned with limply strung chicken claws and rotted roses, is just another example of Kon’s sombre work. Crude but fascinating, Kon perplexes the viewer with a visually stimulating but morally bizarre piece – only strengthening the significance of animal mistreatment and commercialisation. Rather than confronting you with a bold and dynamic sculpture, Kon is slightly more reserved. His ‘still death’ images are ensnared within greyscale prints which gives them a fake mercantile quality, again supporting his rebellious design, but leaves me yearning something more rather than a flat image which has so much emotional potential as a sculpture. The photographs echo pieces by Robert Rauschenberg, such as ‘Monogram’ and ‘Canyon’ (below) though they lack the bold colourful element. However, Kon cannot even be faulted for this as perhaps if he attempted to force these stunningly gauche pieces into 3D he could risk trivialising his idea – which is already powerfully emblazoned in these dramatic ‘organic’ photos.