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Artist and Our Hen House’s own beloved graphic designer Weronika Kolinska joins us this week for a conversation about the ways in which art can be a means to help bring people’s attention to what is happening to animals. Weronika, who specializes in t-shirt design, tells us why she believes wearable art is a particularly effective form of activism and how art can help ignite critical conversations about animals and the planet. We also discuss her decision to avoid cartoonish animal depictions in her work and how unrealistic animal illustrations can affect people’s real-life relationships with animals. Plus, she tells us about her own clothing line and the dangers of fast fashion.
*We are thrilled to expand the accessibility of our podcast by offering written transcripts of the interviews! Click here to read Jasmin’s interview with Weronika Kolinska.*
Weronika is a vegan artist from Poland, based in Amsterdam, who specializes in designing t-shirts with vegan motifs. For as long as she can remember, she was fascinated with nature and animals. As a child, she spent days observing the lives of insects and other small creatures in her garden or watching David Attenborough’s documentaries. Nature still continues to inspire her deeply, and she expresses her admiration for the beauty and multitude of life forms through her art. She wants to share what she has learned and make people stop and think. She focuses on portraying animals as unique individuals deserving of our love and respect.
“It’s so cool to wear a piece of art that everyone sees, and they can approach you about it . It’s often a conversation starter.” – Weronika Kolinska
Highlights for Episode 672:
- Weronika’s experience working with Our Hen House on brand management and logo design
- The illustrations Weronika creates for Menima, her clothing brand, and the message she is trying to send
- Why Weronika loves drawing sanctuary animals and experiencing their individuality
- Weronika’s work with Andy Tabar, founder of vegan apparel brand Compassion Co., and how they first connected
- Some of Weronika’s most popular designs
- Why Weronika believes that so many people avoid going vegan, even though they care about animals
- Why fast fashion is dangerous for people and animals
- Weronika’s tips for creatives who want to share their art with the world
- Upcoming projects in the pipeline that Weronika is excited about
Resources:
- Effective Altruism As It Relates to Animal Rights: An Open Ended Approach to Advocacy
- Episode 359: Uma Valeti of Memphis Meats, and Pamela Fergusson, Vegan RD
- Episode 548: Liz Marshall on her new film, Meat the Future
- The Good It Promises, the Harm It Does: Critical Essays on Effective Altruism
- Compassion Co
Connect with Weronika Kolinska:
Connect with Our Hen House:
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Don’t forget to check out Our Hen House’s other podcasts: The Animal Law Podcast, The Teaching Jasmin How to Cook Vegan Podcast, and the Antiracism in Animal Advocacy Audio Series.
The Our Hen House theme song is written and performed by Michael Harren.
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This episode is brought to you in part through the generosity of A Well-Fed World. A Well-Fed World provides the means for change by empowering individuals, social justice organizations, and political decision makers to embrace the benefits of plant-based foods and farming. Learn more at awfw.org.