ON THE EDGE: SPECIES AT RISK

Australia’s startling loss of species and diminishing biodiversity is the subject of an engaging new exhibition – On the Edge: Species at Risk – at the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney in March/April this year.

Curators Lucette Moore, Robbie Macintosh and Vanessa Snelling have gathered together works from emerging and established artists that show an eco-activist slant – artists who actively campaign through their work to stimulate discussion on climate change and the present state of the Australian environment.

“The brief was that the subject matter must be ‘at risk’,” says Snelling. “The result is a huge cross-section of endangered plants, birds, mammals, fish, reptiles, frogs and insects as well as endangered ecological communities – in fact over 80 different species and several at-risk habitats from all over Australia are represented in the exhibition.”

The way the artists have chosen to represent their concerns is also surprisingly diverse.

Josh Dykgraaf is a commercial artist (“a Photoshop gun for hire”) who works through image manipulation, each finished piece typically containing thousands of Photoshop layers.

“Some time ago I was looking at some shots of mountains I’d taken years ago and observed that the rocky mountain faces looked a bit like the wrinkled skin of an elephant,” says Dykgraaf. “My simple idea was ‘how cool would it be to make an entire elephant out of mountains’, and I took it from that.”

In On the Edge, Dykgraaf offers a Pygmy Possum created from alpine mosses and fungi (featured on the front cover of this edition). He also creates a Gang-gang cockatoo using, ironically, images of burnt leaves, while his White’s Seahorse employs images of PPE gloves discarded outside a city hospital. All three species are suffering significant decline, much of it from habitat destruction.

The plight of Pygmy Possums also caught the attention of Joan McKay, a scratchboard artist and wildlife carer living in Canberra.

“Since the 1990s I’ve been interested in Mountain Pygmy Possums,” she says.

“Fossils were found in 1895 and they were thought to be extinct until in 1996 one was recognised in a ski hut in Mount Hotham, Victoria. I’ve visited several breeding colonies and am grateful to carers who have given permission for me to draw from their photos – these little creatures just don’t stay still for long enough to sketch.

“I use scratchboard because it’s the right medium for me to show feathers and fur. I start with the eyes usually, and aim to show their personalities, to tell their story.

“I want to bring these animals closer to the public, in a realistic way so people feel they can touch them, feel the density of their fur and feathers. Scratchboard really brings them to life, you can push the contrast to make them pop out of the background.”

On the Edge is not just about birds and animals. Australian flora features in Cathy Gray’s exquisitely detailed drawings. Working with fine archival pens (.03mm), the result is delicate, reminiscent of an embroiderer’s needlework or lacework. The mandala – a geometric configuration of symbols which in Eastern religions can represent the spiritual journey – features heavily in Gray’s work.

“The circle is calming for me... in the beginning is the end and the end is the beginning. My drawings take up to 300 hours to complete – I have to work slowly and meticulously, not to seek instant gratification but to see beauty in things that take time."

Gray will exhibit Endangered, in which she has drawn 755 of the 758 currently endangered and critically endangered Australian plant species. This work was highly commended in the 2022 Waterhouse Natural Science Art Prize and won the Dr Wendy Wicks People’s Choice Award.

Also on show will be The Battle, NSW invasive species v. critically endangered and endangered species A keen eye will see the invasive species are drawn slightly darker and the endangered ones lighter so as to highlight that these fragile species are disappearing. The third piece will be Transparent – a work created using pin pricks and silk thread.

“I love exhibiting. My work is really small and when people see it in person, rather than a photo, it draws them in, they have to step right into the art.

“Researching these species has highlighted how many we are on the brink of losing. My list probably isn’t a true indication – there are a fair few that are probably already extinct."

Julianne Ross Allcorn’s watercolour and pencil on birchwood panels is another highlight in On the Edge. The three images can be hung separately or together as a triptych. Unusually, they can be hung vertically or horizontally.

“I love the challenge of making it – every line, every tone has to match, each way,” says Allcorn.

“Each panel has three endangered species in their environment – you have to find them. Because I draw Australian flora and fauna, I have a very strong feeling for what we’re missing, and what we take for granted.”

Allcorn claims she is “not a pure botanical artist” but rather “a drawer who plays with watercolour.” That downplays her skill – listed in an extensive CV of exhibitions, prizes, and classes is the Trustees Watercolour Prize in the 2020 Wynne Prize and selection in the 2021 Archibald Prize. Another artist to seek out is Robert Mancini who uses a vector program* to produce something rather like a mid-century poster.

“They look quite coarsely brushed – people are surprised as usually vector is quite sharp and slick,” says Mancini.

“The works I’m exhibiting are a departure from my other work. They’re best described as digital art graphic bird portraits. I began it as a creative coping response to the COVID lockdown and to my concern about loss of our avian richness and diversity. It’s very much art meets science. The beauty of the bird, the message of the risk.

*Vector is one of the most common digital image file types. Rather than using pixels, vector files use mathematical equations, lines and curves with fixed points on a grid to build an image. One of the advantages of a vector image is they can be scaled up or down without impacting quality.

"I’d like to halt the viewer long enough to create awareness of what exists and the value of working to ensure that existence.”

For the curators, On the Edge: Species at Risk is an exhibition very close to their hearts.

“The Botanic Gardens is a scientific institution and the perfect venue for exhibitions with an environmental focus,” says co-curator Robbie Macintosh. “Art is a non-aggressive angle that can reach people, reach their conscience, make them think about what we’re doing – and not doing.

“Climate change worries people, understandably,” adds co-curator Lucette Moore. “It’s so overwhelming but breaking it down into information that people can relate to allows them to find a way to be part of the change.”

“All is not lost” says Macintosh. “With serious effort, will and funding there’s still time to act. According to scientists, we just need ambitious action. With this exhibition we hope to make an impact towards achieving that goal.”

EDGY CLASSES & EVENTS

A variety of events, classes and demonstrations will run in conjunction with the On the Edge: Species at Risk exhibition, including:

• a 90-minute walking tour of the Royal Botanic Garden's rare and endangered plants

• a small-group tour of the exhibition led by one of our three curators

• a panel discussion in which leading scientists discuss Australia's threatened species and the work being done to save them

• a workshop with artist Jane Guthleben on how to record detailed field notes then use them to compose a painting

• a lesson from artist Nichola Bryan on how to create a striking sustainable bird assemblage with upcycled garden plastics. For more information see this issue’s Diary (page 32).

ON THE EDGE: SPECIES AT RISK

18 MARCH–2 APRIL, 10AM–4PM

Lion Gate Lodge, Royal Botanic Garden Entry is free, and all works will be for sale, with commission going towards a range of programs across the Gardens.

Opening Night

FRIDAY 17 MARCH, 6PM–8PM

Join us as the exhibition is officially opened by the Hon. Tanya Plibersek MP, Minister for the Environment and Water. We will also warmly welcome our Patron, Her Excellency the Hon. Margaret Beazley AO KC. At this ticketed event you will be able to purchase artworks before the doors open to the general public and there will also be an opportunity to meet this year's artists and curators, while enjoying a glass of Taylors’ wine and some delicious canapés created by Radish Events, in historic Lion Gate Lodge. To find out more or purchase Opening Night tickets please scan the QR code.