The Legitimacy of Domination

The act of commodifying living beings and legitimizing domination begins with turning animals, whose very existence is denied as having intrinsic value, into mere objects for human benefit. It disregards their status as subjective beings, asserts rights over the powerless, and normalizes this exploitation. Yet behind these masked and anonymized beings are selves with emotions that are exploited. According to Gary L. Francione, recognizing that non-human beings are sentient is very different from merely acknowledging them as living creatures. To be sentient means to be aware of pleasure and pain, to possess subjective experiences, and to exist as a self with consciousness. At this point, the being moves beyond being an object, becoming a member of society and an individual. However, according to the dominant societal perspective, consumption, devaluation of the Other, and the concealment of all forms of violence are normative. This issue parallels environmental destruction, the slaughter of animals, and the deterioration of human health. Indeed, this parallel reminds us to question and confront what is presented to us, to act justly, and to reconsider the relationships we establish with all living beings. The ear tags carry this out by bearing the weight of the oppression of past and future, illustrating the ongoing human-inflicted destruction, and exposing the obscure and legally sanctioned suffering accumulated over the years. A human ear cast in plaster with a yellow livestock ear tag pierced through it, mounted in a white wooden frame with a mat. The numbers on the tags are the dates of mass killings of animals (3 June 1910 Hayırsız Ada, 3 September 1939 Britain, 5 November 2020 Denmark, 1590–1591 the monkeys of İstanbul…). Each frame is unique; the ear and the date on the tag vary from piece to piece. Signed by the artist and delivered with a certificate.