Diana Michalek - Anthropocene Mirages (Gold)

Diana Michalek
Anthropocene Mirages (Gold)
Digital Print of Original Linocut

Limited edition: 1/25

Diana Michalek - Artist Statement

In Tasmania, once, if you were lucky, you might see a flock of small birds, iridescent green with flashes of red under their wings, catapult across a blue sky searching for flowering gums. They could be observed foraging in tree canopies in noisy groups with other birds seeking the nectar from eucalypts. They are no longer in abundance and critically endangered due to habitat loss and predation by the introduced sugar glider in its Tasmanian breeding range.

The Endemic swift parrot is just one of many species falling away in the game of life… not winning.

How can we help to rescue these precious gems of nature?

Being drawn to the symbolism of nature’s symmetry from ancient times has been considered a sign of connecting to the divine. The spiral pattern is one of the most common in nature, from the spiral of a nautilus shell to whirlpools in water and to the spiral form of galaxies like our Milky Way.

Ancient Celtic culture is part of many people’s heritage. You see it here in my design, the Celtic spirals double and triple, part of my ancestral story.

Is it the sun, the centre, the source of all life’s energy, ever spiraling outward to sustain life on earth? Let’s help, do one thing, some thing, to make the spiral represent change, development, rebirth of the Swift Parrot and others.

This work was submitted by the artist as part of Wild Island's Threatened Species Project 2023. One third of the proceeds will go to Tasmanian Orchid Conservation & Research Program and the Swift Parrot Surveying & Monitoring Program (in conjunction with BBF, TWS and GRANT) and will continue to support Friends of The Orford Bird Sancturary.

In 2022 these organisations were Friends of The Orford Bird Sanctuary and the Miena Cider Gum Recovery Program.

Threatened Species Project, 3rd October - 5th November 2023

A  WILD ISLAND EXHIBITION RAISING AWARENESS OF TASMANIA'S THREATENED SPECIES
There are 683 species of plants and animals, including insects and other invertebrates, on Tasmania's Threatened Species List. Yes, there are the iconic ones so many people know about, but there are numerous species that are tiny, little known or ‘less attractive’, which are no less important to our rich and varied eco-system. This new exhibition will expand our understanding of the range & diversity of threatened species and educate of their plight. It also aims to raise much needed funds to go towards their support.