Australia is home to 25% of the world’s shark and ray species, with 530 unique varieties, some so rare and deep-dwelling that no images or research of them exist.
To change how people see these often-feared creatures, the Australian Marine Conservation Society invited Australian children to reimagine them through creativity instead of AI, using art, craft, and pure imagination to bring these species to life.
The top artworks were then reinterpreted by ten of Australia’s most renowned artists, including Ken Done, Jenny Turpin, Janet Laurence, Reko Rennie, Jonathan Zawada, Rosie Deacon, Dion Horstmans, and Blak Douglas.
The resulting works were showcased at the Fantastical Sharks and Rays exhibition at the Australian Museum, transforming sharks from ferocious to fantastical and inspiring a new generation of ocean protectors.
AMCS ‘fantastical sharks and rays’
·
AMCS ‘fantastical sharks and rays’ ·
Prominent Australian artist Ken Done’s Fiddler Ray, inspired by the imagination of Leah Dijik, aged 11.
Artist Billy Bains’s artwork of the Melbourne Skate,
inspired by the imagination of Barnaby Snow, aged 10.
Artist Jennifer Turpin’s seaweed sculpture was inspired by
4-year-old Inara Wilson’s imagined whitefin swellshark.
The exhibition has an extended run at the Australia Museum,
a cultural institution in the heart of the city.
Results
1500 competition entrants.
23,000+ exhibit attendees & counting.
Amplified in national press; The Guardian, ABC News, SMH.
More importantly, our humble exhibit turned into a catalyst for societal and Government change.
$119,000 in art to be auctioned for conservation.
10,500+ petition signatures.
10,500+ letters to Parliament.
As a direct result, new legislation has been passed to supervise commercial fishing activity. Cameras must now be installed on boats to monitor their catch, putting a silent extinction in full sight.
South Australia has banned targeted fishing of the Greeneye Spurdog, Whitefin Swellshark and Longnose Skate.
