The road-kill I saw leaving Koorabup (Denmark, Western Australia) and later in my mind, 2023
acrylic paint, mixed media, print, xuan paper, bamboo,
(H) 16 x (W) 86 x (D) 40 cm
In the Chinese classic text 'The Classic of Mountains and Seas,' the fox is depicted as a malevolent spirit that devours humans. Encountering a dead European red fox both excites and frightens me as a Chinese-Australian. This introduced species, a sentinel of British colonisation and an apex predator in a foreign land, has ravaged native wildlife and reshaped the Australian landscape irreversibly. Ironically, foxes inadvertently curbed other introduced invasive species like rats, rabbits, and cats.
The playful re-imagining of the fox as a "thug" fosters this sense of irony, prompts viewpoints on the complexities of colonisation and its consequences, and the roles of predator, invader and saviour.
The playful re-imagining of the fox as a "thug" fosters this sense of irony, prompts viewpoints on the complexities of colonisation and its consequences, and the roles of predator, invader and saviour.