Presence / Absence / Permanence. 2020

Thylacinus cynocephalus, large and small specimens (Tasmanian tiger), Macropus greyi (Toolach wallaby), Chaeropus ecaudatus (Pig footed bandicoot). These sculptures were created as part of process of grief, their creation being my closest encounter with these animals, which were lost to extinction in a time where the priority was to preserve the specimen and not the species. A grief in absence, of knowing that this act of recreating something that, even in its perceived realness, will never be real. They are isolated and still, at a stage of development where they are not yet feasible beings, not interacting with the vast web of ecosystems to which they belong. A painful mimesis that harbours the reality of our past, present and prospective future, if we continue to prioritise economy over ecology.