Black Dog:Failure

Black Dog:Failure is an animated exploration of mental health, using art to challenge and confront the metaphorical “black dog” of depression. Drawing on the universal symbol of the black dog—a shadow that is always present yet never entirely seen—the project transforms this persistent figure into a subject of reflection and resilience.

Through five animated works, the exhibition explored the interplay between darkness and light, between struggle and creativity. The animations were created without storyboards, embracing an unplanned and spontaneous approach that allowed unexpected narratives to emerge. Techniques such as painting over video stills and reworking images gave each piece a textured, tactile quality.

Exhibition Details

Blackdog:failure was held at Toi Pōneke Gallery, Wellington, from 16 January to 7 February 2015. The exhibition featured an artist talk and a public animation workshop, inviting audiences to engage directly with the creative process and themes of the work.

This series asks a simple but powerful question: how do we live with, and rise above, the shadows that follow us?

Black Dog:failure – A Statement

I am dogged by depression.

On these walls, I have explored my relationship to my depression, personified as the Black Dog. From confusion, the mirror trap, to torment, to fighting back, and finally giving the beast a name—this is a journey of hope whilst confronting the hard-to-explain black dog. It hides just out of sight, but in the end, fails.

– Mark Antony Smith, 2015