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Author:

Adam Kol

Published on:

February 3, 2016

Art and Animals II: Alicia Santurio

by Alicia Santurio

A series of pieces highlighting the art of various animal activists.





 Marching and dreaming of the day when all animals are free!
Marching and dreaming of the day when all animals are free!




  Domino is finally free after escaping a livestock auction.
Domino is finally free after escaping a livestock auction.




My love for photography started when I was young. I have taken only a couple of photography classes; I am mostly self-taught. I’ve been told I have an eye for capturing the feelings around me. I tell an emotional story with a camera rather than with a pen and paper.

As an animal rights activist and member of Direct Action Everywhere (DxE), I get the opportunity to take photos of my fellow activists at demonstrations and “actions.” I enjoy capturing our passion and our commitment as well as revealing the power and the drama of the action itself.

My first love, however, is photographing non-human animals.  I aim to reveal the animal’s character in print. I try to merge with the camera and the subject to create a telling portrait.





  Women standing strong for animal rights.
Women standing strong for animal rights.




I see photography as a great platform for animal activism. Through pictures, I seek to allow the animals to tell their own stories of love, joy, intelligence and yes, suffering. Some of my photographs show animals looking adorable and some show their soulful dignity and beauty. Still others tell the painful side of an animal’s life. I strive to bring a message of compassion toward all animals to the world.





 Sassy is a hen who beat the odds. Deemed useless by the egg industry, she along with 1,500 other hens were to be gassed and thrown in a landfill. Luckily, Animal Place stepped in and rescued them.
Sassy is a hen who beat the odds. Deemed useless by the egg industry, she along with 1,500 other hens were to be gassed and thrown in a landfill. Luckily, Animal Place stepped in and rescued them.




 From a DxE demonstration (January 11, 2015) protesting Whole Foods Market's deceptive
From a DxE demonstration (January 11, 2015) protesting Whole Foods Market's deceptive




 This hen came from one of the
This hen came from one of the




 Hayden, who lives at Harvest Home Sanctuary in Stockton, CA, is one of 31 pigs rescued from a biomedical lab in San Francisco.
Hayden, who lives at Harvest Home Sanctuary in Stockton, CA, is one of 31 pigs rescued from a biomedical lab in San Francisco.




 DxE organizer Priya Sawhney speaking out at the Whole Foods demonstration on January 11, 2015.
DxE organizer Priya Sawhney speaking out at the Whole Foods demonstration on January 11, 2015.




 Rufus (black and white goat) and Reggie (all-white goat) eating every goat's favorite snack: mulberry leaves.
Rufus (black and white goat) and Reggie (all-white goat) eating every goat's favorite snack: mulberry leaves.




 Some pigeons pictured here were rescued from the pigeon and/or squab meet industry.
Some pigeons pictured here were rescued from the pigeon and/or squab meet industry.