About
Bio
Michelle KamMei Harvey
She/Her
British (Chinese/English)
Human made art
Most human beings are born with grief in their spirit, a void of where our animal once was. We are so far removed from a relationship with the natural world that we no longer have neighbours and we deeply mourn that loss without being fully conscious of what that emptiness is telling us. For me, I felt an oddness stir from the age of 4. I was a mixed race child being brought up on British military bases, and I was told by the other children that I wasn’t one of them. I looked different. However it wasn’t just looking mixed which set me apart from the other children, I thought differently too. I remember crying when a boy was crushing ants and begging him to stop. Why can’t he see the value in their lives?
The wolf was a symbol of power for me. A beast that last offered partnership to human beings and was betrayed by genetic meddling and death. People wanted obedience, not an ally.
A wolf in the shape of a girl was the only plausible reason I could think of at that age to explain why I wasn’t connecting with the people around me. That was the first of many questions I began to ask myself. What does it mean to be human? What is our place here?
Later on I realised that it wasn’t just my genetics that alienated me, it was a deeper more spiritual ache and primal longing. Not only did I not know my eastern connection but like all human beings, I was disconnected from the very source of our core. The animal that wishes to return home.
It is these themes that I wish to explore in my art.
I am a volunteer member of staff at wolf sanctuary, Wolf Watch UK. Wolf Watch take in displaced captive wolves and offer them a home in rural Shropshire, England. They do NOT offer ‘wolf experiences’ to the public however as a member of staff I am incredibly lucky and privileged to be able to get up close with the supervision of the owner. You can support this wonderful rescue here,
