Natural Histories

The cult of celebrity comes at a price.

From animals to actors, what lurks beneath the wonder and glamour of fame is often a tale of exploitation and neglect. Unhappy victims of a disposable culture fuelled by over consumption.

Guy was quite the cause celebre. People flocked to London Zoo to see this prized gorilla in his day. After his death he was stuffed and placed in the Natural History Museum, so an eager public could keep ogling him.
Benjamin was the last known Tasmanian tiger, revered as the last of his kind but believed to have died from neglect, reportedly locked out of his shelter on an extremely cold night at the zoo.

This work in progress collection of larger pieces explores the dark side of fame and our obsession with the cult of celebrity.

It features pages from a 100-year old National Geographic magazine needle-pounced with charcoal drawings of Guy and Benjamin, which will become light boxes blending traditional techniques with technology to reveal hidden truths.