I often ask myself this: do farm animals, animals used for entertainment, animals raised for food and fashion live among people or for people?

I am a photographer who, on a daily basis, documents the lives of animals. My images show their existence, which has been degraded to the level of a product, common goods. The existence deprived of empathy and compassion. Through photography I want to show what’s invisible to the society – the relationships between animals, their ability to feel, the respect they deserve.

Photography allows me to document more and to reveal more, the usually forgotten “right to live”. Society led us to think it’s alright to focus on consumption, leaving empathy and any moral reflections behind.

While taking photos of animals, I am trying to capture their relationships, friendships, emotions that would move a human’s heart. To contrast all this, I also document some expression of empathy, where photos of rescued animals become symbols of fading humanity, with the hope that the whole process of revealing the truth and breaking the stereotypes will help people find empathy in themselves.

Animals’ difficult situation is a global problem, pain and exploitation know no limits or divisions. The archive I collect here gives a possibility to look inside their world, be more aware of the fact that all of this suffering happens right around the corner and we don’t have to agree to this. We don’t have to stay silent.

Andrew Skowron