An archival study of vulnerable species
A record of the Exhibition held at West Greenwich Library on 22 May – 13 June, 2026
Artist statement
The paintings in this exhibition depict endangered and threatened species from the Mustelid and Bovid families, drawn from habitats across the world — from riverbanks and grasslands to undergrowth and ancient forest canopies. To emphasise vulnerability, rarity, and diminishing numbers, I portray each animal individually or in pairs. While some of these species are naturally solitary, their isolation within the compositions also reflects the increasing fragmentation of the environments they depend upon.
Working in oil paint, I wanted to create portraits that feel both intimate and archival: records of lives that are becoming progressively more uncertain under the pressures of climate change, habitat destruction, and human expansion. The work acts both as a reflection on anthropogenic impact and as an expression of discontent, appreciation, and urgency.
Central to the series is the Saola — an elusive bovine native to the Annamite mountains of Vietnam and Laos. Science formally identified the species only in 1992, and no one has seen it in the wild since 2013.
I initially conceived the broader project as a speculative future museum exhibition — a body of work accompanied by texts written from a near-future perspective in which these animals had already disappeared. By imagining the paintings as remnants or historical documents of extinct species, I hoped to confront viewers with the unsettling possibility that this future is not unimaginable, but approaching. I wanted to make the possibility of extinction feel tangible rather than abstract, and to encourage a deeper recognition of our collective responsibility toward the natural world while there is still time to act.
The species
I consciously choose species based on their conservation status as well as geographical location. One thing these animals have in common is the reason for their diminishing numbers — us. International hunters once hunted species such as the Bongo Antelope and the Mountain Nyala. Others, such as the Marbled Polecat, face habitat loss as a result of human-induced climate change and expanding human activities such as farming and settlement.
