Curatorial Rationale
This exhibition explores the various connections we make with the natural world. I first wanted
viewers to appreciate nature for its all-encompassing beauty. Street Life drew inspiration from the
photographer, Vivian Maier, and her focus on bringing attention to those overlooked in society. My
works depict street animals- individuals who are often mistreated or ignored, yet incredibly graceful
and soulful in their own right. I continue to convey the beauty of the natural world through my
landscapes. A Buzzing Forest depicts a scene in Costa Rica, an incredibly biodiverse country. Taking
inspiration from David Hockney, this work features vibrant colours, and simplified forms. This style
removes unnecessary detail, allowing the scene to be stripped to its essence to highlight its
fundamental beauty.
The following two works also feature natural landscapes, however they mark a shift from simply
appreciating the diversity offered by nature to reflecting our place within its grasp. Inspired by The
Hay Wain by John Constable, Sheltered Sanctuary portrays nature’s ability to overwhelm and persist
beyond our control. This is done through form and its suspension from the ceiling which emphasises
the vast presence of the natural elements portrayed and physically overwhelms viewers. The Garment
below, influenced by Vincent Van Gogh’s Wheatfield with Crows, embodies tension between nature’s
unpredictability and its allure.
Life Support, also conveys our existence at the mercy of nature — presenting our intrinsic connection
as both necessary and inevitable. In the first drawing, the vines imitate veins, highlighting how nature
sustains life as blood does. The second features wisteria, a plant symbolising growth and life,
entwined around the passive hand, suggesting harmony. Here, the viewer is encouraged to reflect on
the potential for a more balanced relationship with the natural world if we choose to work with it,
rather than against it.
Flow marks the transition to a parrot-focused collection, presenting themes of freedom and flight
through an interplay of realism and abstraction. The Abstract Expressionist background, layered with
mixed media, evokes energy and movement, while the smaller canvases, inspired by Frida Kahlo’s
realism, depict scenes of birds in flight. Flow proceeds Bound Birds to highlight the juxtaposition of a
world where parrots exist on their own terms with one confined by human influence.
Bound Birds explores how practices like clipping and solitary confinement, physically and mentally
trap pet parrots, through symbolism inspired by Marcel Witte. Captive, a blend of 2D animation and
live action, builds on these ideas, presenting the disparity between lives of pet parrots and those of
wild parrots. Told from a parrot’s perspective, it directly confronts those inflicting captivity on
parrots, to evoke guilt from the viewers and elicit change. I aimed to do the same in my installation
which depicts parrots as commodities of the pet trade, sought after for their entertainment value and
beauty, resulting in declining wild populations and imprisonment for those captured. Influenced by
Joseph’s Cornell’s layering of found materials and boxed compositions, I included chains, clocks,
aged maps, and dead materials to symbolise confinement and loss over time due to human greed.
Exploring my personal relationship with parrots, my self portrait series reflects my deep connection
with parrots. The drawing, inspired by Ben Giles, is a metaphor for how birds are constantly on my
mind, while the painting appropriates Frida Kahlo’s Me and my Parrots, as I resonated with her
portrayal of her parrots as an extension of her identity. Infestation takes this concept further,
portraying the inescapable presence of parrots in my life. Featuring invasive parrot species and nests
This exhibition explores the various connections we make with the natural world. I first wanted
viewers to appreciate nature for its all-encompassing beauty. Street Life drew inspiration from the
photographer, Vivian Maier, and her focus on bringing attention to those overlooked in society. My
works depict street animals- individuals who are often mistreated or ignored, yet incredibly graceful
and soulful in their own right. I continue to convey the beauty of the natural world through my
landscapes. A Buzzing Forest depicts a scene in Costa Rica, an incredibly biodiverse country. Taking
inspiration from David Hockney, this work features vibrant colours, and simplified forms. This style
removes unnecessary detail, allowing the scene to be stripped to its essence to highlight its
fundamental beauty.
The following two works also feature natural landscapes, however they mark a shift from simply
appreciating the diversity offered by nature to reflecting our place within its grasp. Inspired by The
Hay Wain by John Constable, Sheltered Sanctuary portrays nature’s ability to overwhelm and persist
beyond our control. This is done through form and its suspension from the ceiling which emphasises
the vast presence of the natural elements portrayed and physically overwhelms viewers. The Garment
below, influenced by Vincent Van Gogh’s Wheatfield with Crows, embodies tension between nature’s
unpredictability and its allure.
Life Support, also conveys our existence at the mercy of nature — presenting our intrinsic connection
as both necessary and inevitable. In the first drawing, the vines imitate veins, highlighting how nature
sustains life as blood does. The second features wisteria, a plant symbolising growth and life,
entwined around the passive hand, suggesting harmony. Here, the viewer is encouraged to reflect on
the potential for a more balanced relationship with the natural world if we choose to work with it,
rather than against it.
Flow marks the transition to a parrot-focused collection, presenting themes of freedom and flight
through an interplay of realism and abstraction. The Abstract Expressionist background, layered with
mixed media, evokes energy and movement, while the smaller canvases, inspired by Frida Kahlo’s
realism, depict scenes of birds in flight. Flow proceeds Bound Birds to highlight the juxtaposition of a
world where parrots exist on their own terms with one confined by human influence.
Bound Birds explores how practices like clipping and solitary confinement, physically and mentally
trap pet parrots, through symbolism inspired by Marcel Witte. Captive, a blend of 2D animation and
live action, builds on these ideas, presenting the disparity between lives of pet parrots and those of
wild parrots. Told from a parrot’s perspective, it directly confronts those inflicting captivity on
parrots, to evoke guilt from the viewers and elicit change. I aimed to do the same in my installation
which depicts parrots as commodities of the pet trade, sought after for their entertainment value and
beauty, resulting in declining wild populations and imprisonment for those captured. Influenced by
Joseph’s Cornell’s layering of found materials and boxed compositions, I included chains, clocks,
aged maps, and dead materials to symbolise confinement and loss over time due to human greed.
Exploring my personal relationship with parrots, my self portrait series reflects my deep connection
with parrots. The drawing, inspired by Ben Giles, is a metaphor for how birds are constantly on my
mind, while the painting appropriates Frida Kahlo’s Me and my Parrots, as I resonated with her
portrayal of her parrots as an extension of her identity. Infestation takes this concept further,
portraying the inescapable presence of parrots in my life. Featuring invasive parrot species and nests
