- 10 Australian artists have created works inspired by 10 winning children’s entries
- Child’s and artist’s work will be exhibited alongside at the Australian Museum
- Over 1500 children entered the Fantastical Sharks & Rays art competition
Leading Australian artists – including national treasure Ken Done, 2022 Archibald Prize winner Blak Douglas and jewellery designers Sarah & Sebastian – have unveiled their artworks inspired by the winners of the Fantastical Shark & Rays children’s art competition at the Australian Museum.
The 10 winners have seen their portrayals of Australia’s lesser-known and endangered sharks and rays reimagined by renowned artists including Done, Douglas, Sarah & Sebastian, Jennifer Turpin, Billy Bain, Janet Laurence, Dion Horstmans, Rosie Deacon, Dylan Mooney and Jonathan Zawada.
The children’s and artists’ work will be displayed alongside at the Australian Museum’s Fantastical Sharks & Rays exhibition, which runs until 8 December.
Ken Done said: “This is a unique project and one that I am immensely looking forward to. If it helps to protect some of the world’s endangered species, that would be a great achievement for us all.”
Dhungatti painter Blak Douglas said: “The idea of translating a student artwork for public exhibition is unique to me. I’m particularly excited here as we shall exhibit within the great walls of my former workplace [the museum].”
To raise awareness and help protect Australia’s unique lesser-known and endangered species, the Australian Marine Conservation Society (AMCS) and Humane Society International (HSI) Australia ran a competition last summer asking budding da Vincis to create an artwork depicting one of 10 of them. Not a lot is known about these creatures, so the children were given a written description of the animals to spark their imaginations. For example, the lined lantern shark was described as “More like a tadpole than a shark, this tiny creature fits in the palm of your hand. With light-emitting organs, it even GLOWS!” We received more than 1500 entries from all over Australia.
AMCS Chief Executive Darren Kindleysides said: “What better way to capture the wonder of our little-known and uniquely Aussie sharks and rays than through the power of art and kids’ imaginations. The Fantastical Sharks & Rays Exhibition provides an incredible opportunity to learn about these amazing animals, many of which are our most endangered, and see amazing works by outstanding Australian artists and incredibly creative children.”
HSI Australia Head of Campaigns, Nicola Beynon, said: “Threatened marine wildlife such as the Maugean skate are so close to disappearing forever, and we need to bring their plight to the national stage. Exciting, vibrant artworks from children and renowned artists alike are going to showcase these rare sharks and rays in a way we’ve never seen before.”
The Australian Museum Research Institute Director and Chief Scientist, Professor Kris Helgen, said: “This simple idea has resonated with more than 1500 school children from across Australia, who in the process have come to learn about our lesser-known sharks and rays, which we are at risk of losing.
“This competition explores the nexus between art and science. Science can be extraordinarily complex, yet art works can often accomplish and convey much more than simple text alone.
“Bringing together these two forms of creativity is a powerful way to help prepare our children for a world which could change significantly over the next decade or two. We are incredibly proud to work with AMCS and the Humane Society on this interdisciplinary approach to raising awareness of our sharks and rays.”
The 10 lesser-known sharks and rays include the greeneye spurdog, which uses its big green eyes to see in almost pitch-black depths up to one kilometre down. The whitefin swellshark will swallow water to swell up almost twice its girth to make itself look bigger and harder to eat. The eastern angelshark lays buried in the sand, patiently waiting before it ambushes prey that swims above it.
Australia is home to one quarter of the world’s sharks and rays species, with more than 300 species in our waters. Nearly half are endemic, found nowhere else in the world; and 13 of our endemic sharks are threatened with extinction mostly due to overfishing. Many are caught accidentally as “bycatch,” and sometimes their meat is sold as what Australians commonly known as “flake” in the local fish and chip shop.
The 10 featured sharks and rays in exhibition are:
Southern/eastern fiddler ray (aka banjo shark)
Winner Leah Djikic, 11, Goulburn, NSW; artist Ken Done (painter)
Eastern angelshark
Winner Gryff Nolan, 9, Brisbane; artist Blak Douglas (painter)
Whitefin swellshark
Winner Inara Wilson, 4, Melbourne; artist Jennifer Turpin (installation)
Melbourne skate
Winner Barnaby Snow, 10, Margaret River, WA; artist Billy Bain (ceramicist)
Longnose skate
Winner Eightrielle Escalona, 9, Adelaide; artist Janet Laurence (print)
Yellowback stingaree
Winner Maya Haysom-McDowell, 10, Sydney; artist Dylan Mooney (painting and printmaking)
Maugean skate
Winner Iluka Michel, 9, Sydney; artist Dion Horstmans (sculpture)
Greenback stingaree
Winner Arwen Brown, 10, Sunshine Coast; artist Rosie Deacon (installation)
Lined lantern shark
Winner Zara Pease, 13, Darwin; artist Sarah & Sebastian (jewellers/metalworkers)
Greeneye spurdog
Winner Oliver McIntyre, 7, Sunshine Coast; artist Jonathan Zawada (digital)