Emilie Louise Gossiaux at the 2026 Whitney Biennial

Why It Matters

The work reframes animal companionship as a collaborative artistic force, influencing how institutions and audiences value interspecies narratives in contemporary culture.

Key Takeaways

• Gossiaux’s work honors late service dog London’s legacy
• Installation “Kong Play” features 100 hand‑crafted dog toys
• Pieces explore human‑animal hybrid mythic identity through artistic narrative
• Repetitive clay sculpting reflects therapeutic process for grieving
• Whitney Biennial inclusion highlights evolving animal‑rights discourse in contemporary art

Summary

Emily Louise Gossiaux’s Whitney Biennial entry centers on her late service dog, London, transforming personal grief into a public artistic meditation. The artist frames London not merely as a mobility aid but as a collaborator, describing their bond as a "super being" where human and animal merge into mythic figures, exemplified in her drawing "the marriage of hand and paw."\n\nGossiaux’s flagship installation, "Kong Play," consists of one hundred hand‑made clay Kongs—the toy London adored—crafted daily over four months as his health declined. The repetitive process underscores a therapeutic ritual, while the amassed toys imagine an afterlife playground, a heaven for her companion.\n\nShe articulates the concept of hybrid identity, stating, "When London and I worked together, we became a whole, a super being," and visualizes this through body‑swap figures that blur species boundaries. The installation’s scale and intimacy invite viewers to contemplate the depth of interspecies relationships.\n\nBy placing this deeply personal narrative within the Whitney Biennial, Gossiaux amplifies conversations about animal agency, grief, and the role of repetitive craft in contemporary art, signaling a broader shift toward recognizing non‑human partners in artistic practice.

Original Description

At the 2026 Whitney Biennial, Emilie Louise Gossiaux presents work centering on her relationship with her guide dog and collaborator, London, who passed away last year at the age of 15.⁠ ⁠ Her installation “Kong Play” (2025) is made up of 100 handmade clay sculptures of Kongs — London's favorite chew toy. Gossiaux made each one by hand, nearly every day over four months, as London's health began to decline. With the work, she imagined London's happiness in the afterlife, surrounded by 100 Kongs.⁠ ⁠ "I wanted to create this heaven for her with this installation."⁠ ⁠

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Video: Christopher Garcia Valle