The vulnerability of threatened species of Queensland wildlife will be movingly depicted in a collaborative sculpture exhibition opening in Brisbane on Tuesday 12 November.
Extinction is for Ever is the brainchild of co-curators Claudje Lecompte and Susan Margaret working with over thirty artists and the Queensland Conservation Council to exhibit over fifty sculptures.
Susan Margaret said the intention was to use a visual medium to raise awareness of the plight of Queensland wildlife under threat of extinction.
‘Art appeals to something less conscious, to our feeling rather than our thinking,’ Ms Margaret said.
‘We’re having an animal to look at rather than a list of figures.’
Australia has most to lose
‘In Australia we’re losing more mammals than any other country in the world. I hope people feel the need to be more aware, more conscious of what we’re losing,’ Ms Margaret said.
An awareness conversation and opening event for Extinction is for Ever will be held at the Petrie Terrace Gallery on Saturday 16 November in the afternoon and evening. Details here
Ms Margaret said each artist involved held a passionate interest in wildlife, the environment and its conservation and brought their creative talent to the topic.
Quality high
‘The quality of the sculptures is high with ninety per cent of the work created by professional practising artists.  For example, artists Pippa Robinson, Ollie Hart and Claudje Lecompte are all well known in the arts scene,’ Ms Margaret said.
Featured pieces included a Coxen’s Fig Parrot by Zela Bissett in wood, felt, wire, thread, beads and wool.
Coxen’s Fig Parrott by Zela Bissett
‘Making these three-dimensional replicas of living creatures, I am reminded of the beauty, intricacy and wonder of the natural world,’ Ms Bissett said.
‘My hope is the exhibition will remind viewers we share the planet with other creatures who also have a right to live and thrive.’
Shannon Hunter said her sculpture of a Hooded Robin, titled Trapped drew attention to the deadly consequences of careless abandonment of plastics and rubbish in bushlands and waterways.
Trapped by Shannon Hunter
‘Birds and animals may salvage these materials and become snared or trapped in their unforgiving fibres, losing feet, limbs and lives,’ Ms Hunter said.
Susan Margaret’s White-bellied Storm Petrel is titled Follow me.
Follow me by Susan Margaret
Claudje Lecompte said her clay sculpture of a Greater Bilby (picture at top) titled Where is Everyone? was informed by her belief that humans were destroying the natural world and its inhabitants and systems at their own peril.
‘We know many (threatened species) are losing the battle to survive,’ Ms Lecompte said.
‘It is up to us to do whatever we can, no matter how seemingly insignificant, to reduce the burden of stress on our natural systems.’
The Queensland Government’s Department of Environment, Land and Water says more than 1000 Queensland species are on the threatened species list because they are at risk of extinction.
Extinction is for Ever runs from 12 to 17 November with doors open from 10 am to 3.30 pm at the Petrie Terrace Gallery 3/162 Petrie Terrace Brisbane.
Mother and pup subantarctic fur seals by Cathy Godwin
IMAGE of Greater Bilby at top of story by Claudje Lecompte
