The Kleve Zoo is hoping for a new source of income with a beastly good idea. Panda lady Kamala proves to be a talented artist. The pictures made with her velvet paws and finger paint could now stir up the art scene. Greetings from Beuys.
Kleve (dpa / lnw) – A young panda lady could stir up the art scene on the Lower Rhine. With her velvety paws, the one-year-old female panda Kamala from Kleve Zoo paints unique pictures. The works of art are now for sale. The proceeds from the mostly colorful, taped pictures of the fluffy artist are to flow into the expansion of the new panda facility and a species protection project for the red panda in Nepal, which is supported by the zoo. “Kleve has a new Beuys,” says zoo director Martin Polotzek proudly and with a wink. When asked by the German Press Agency on Thursday, he emphasized: “Kamala is still very playful and clearly enjoys painting.”
The veterinarian explains that medical training is regularly carried out with the red pandas, during which the animals are also scanned and examined more closely. For variety and relaxation for the pandas, this training has been expanded to include an artistic touch. “We dab Kamala’s paws with non-toxic finger paint, which she then uses to paint unique works of art,” says Polotzek. Everything happens voluntarily and with positive reinforcement. “For us, it’s a great vote of confidence that we can feel Kamala’s paws during training. We only paint when she wants to.” If Kamala is particularly busy, she will be rewarded with extra tasty treats.
Art-loving animal lovers can choose between two formats: The pictures are 25 x 25 centimeters or 24 x 30 centimeters in size and are all unique, the zoo assures. After all, the paintings are more affordable than Beuys’ works. The zoo has presented a sales price of around 250 euros. “If you look more closely at the pictures, you can see how different each individual work is. If the color green plays a defining role in some pictures – perhaps as a reference to Kamala’s favorite food, bamboo – it also has others with the dark work ‘Schatten der Nacht’ emotions immortalized,” says Polotzek. Of course, Kamala’s paw prints are unmistakable on every work of art.
The connection to the famous artist Joseph Beuys is obvious. Because he grew up in Rinder, a small village north of the Tiergarten. Shortly after his birth in May 1921, the Beuys family moved there. Later she even lived in a house on Tiergartenstrasse in Kleve, a stone’s throw from the zoo. Directly opposite is the Museum Kurhaus Kleve, where the sculptor, painter and art professor once had his studio and where many of his works can be seen.
