THE STRAY CATS (B&W)

DINOKENG, SOUTH AFRICA - 2026

S T A N D A R D
34” x 77” Unframed
49” x 92” Framed
Edition of 12

L A R G E
45” x 103” Unframed
60” x 118” Framed
Edition of 12

Editions available in both B&W and Colour

The original Stray Cats rock group hailed from Long Island, New York, whereas these two stray cats bonded 8,000 miles away in what was formerly Transvaal in South Africa.  The bar was made in full anticipation of what I intended to do with the leopard and that in itself was a leap of faith - this was no Hollywood studio.
 
Transvaal has witnessed a great deal over the years and was the central theatre of both Boer Wars. It has not been a quiet or serene part of southern Africa; indeed, it has housed generations of uncompromising people.  Meanwhile, pockets of the rural land still boast a broad representation of African wildlife, some of which add to the cocktail of dangers. So, it is not an ideal location for precious or innocent people.
 
But I doubt the veldt has ever seen this kind of liaison before. The concept was cartoonish and playful - we certainly don’t want to fall into a reality obsessed rabbit hole. The instinct is to entertain, long before it is to teach. The hard part of the execution was having the panther’s face head-on to the camera and for the animal to be calm with my presence in the nearby cage. That was Kevin Richardson’s job and he almost always gets there in the end. Equally, he trusts me to behave correctly with a dangerous and athletic predator in the hood.
 
There was a truly international team in South Africa with our model - Lea Schimel from Vienna and our hair stylist - Larry King - from London. They worked well together and Lea was a great addition to our motley crew.

~ David Yarrow