A young female panda 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 feels like it.”
Connection to the famous artist Joseph Beuys
Art-loving animal lovers can choose between two formats: the pictures are 25 x 25 centimeters or 24 x 30 centimeters. After all, the paintings are more affordable than Beuys’ works. The zoo has presented a sales price of around 250 euros.
The connection to the famous artist Joseph Beuys is obvious. Because he grew up in Rinder, a small village north of the Tiergarten. Directly opposite the zoo 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.
