Anne Zahalka, one of Australia’s leading photographers, has turned her lens towards QVMAG’s historic dioramas. Lost Landscapes is the latest iteration in her series Wild Life, a project in which she unearths habitat displays from around Australia and re-imagines them to reflect contemporary concerns about the environment.
‘A murder of crows descends on Fingal Valley in pursuit of a black
kite who drops embers on tinder dry fields to flush out prey.
Rabbits, echidna, small birds, lizards and insects flee from the
billowing flames and smoke, while crows circle in the hunt. Some
Aboriginal groups have long known of the fire hawk’s behaviour,
transporting these smouldering sticks and spreading fire across the
land. In European culture, crows, a cunning creature, are thought to
be an ill omen and a messenger of death, signalling destruction.
Decayed sheep bones littering desolate fields are evidence of
colonisation, land clearing, poor livestock farming and climate
change which has irreversibly damaged the environment.’
Artist’s statement 2020
Unframed print – limited edition of 20
Pigment ink on archival paper – image size approximately 40cm x 47cm