Cassowary Country…Artist Statement…review

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#220 June 2009 Art Monthly Australia

Carked It Like A Cassowary

Review by Sasi Victoire

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The cassowary, Australia’s largest bird after the emu, is now relegated to the endangered species list upon suffering steady decline. The phrase ‘dead as a dodo’ may soon enter the Australian vernacular as ‘carked it like a cassowary’ to herald the extinction of another species. In the Far North Queensland region it is the flightless Southern cassowary (Casuarius johnstonii) that has become easy prey due to shrinking rainforest habitat and fragmentation.

“Gerhard Hillmann in his composite photomontage directs the eye to the food source and the forest floor as environment to assert the precarious balance for the survival of this species. He draws on the research of the cassowary scats (droppings) to make his images which acknowledge the role cassowaries play in the biodiversity of the rainforest.”

This is Cassowary Country Exhibition

Cairns Regional Gallery  April-May 09

Artists involved were Mollie Bosworth, Susan Doherty, Barbara Dover, Terry Eager, Margaret Genever, Gerhard Hillmann and Arone Meeks, and curated by Laurel McKenzie. 450 people attended the opening and over 6000 people visited the show in 6weeks.

The artists, who work in a diverse range media and styles, are unified in their deep concern for the preservation of the far north Queensland rainforest habitat of the cassowary. They are anxious to highlight the precarious situation for this important, umbrella species. The exhibition complemented the KCons work to identify and document the remaining cassowaries, their habitat and its condition in this region.

Visual art has the unique ability to communicate complex ideas in a way which other media cannot, which is why this exhibition was an important part of KCons efforts to widen awareness of the endangerment of the cassowary and to promote action in the community.

The exhibition was supported by The Queensland Government and the Cairns Regional Council (through the Regional Arts Development Fund), the Myer Foundation and the Wet Tropics Management Authority.Public public programs were run at the gallery in conjuction with the show: A very successful childrens’ school holiday workshop using found materialsThe Cassowary – Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow, a presentation by Dr David Westcott, Dr Les Moore, Dr Nicky Moore.

Cassowary walking up Coopers creek, Daintree.

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CASSOWARIES are an endangered species. This is principally due to habitat loss and fragmentation of habitat. It is not known how many birds existed at European settlement, however in 1988 the Wet Tropics population was estimated at between 2500–4000 adults; by 2001 it was estimated at less than 1500, and the number continues to decrease. If the cassowary is to survive, effective action is required now. It is apparent that action must be rooted in community support. Such support relies upon education about habitat loss and the needs of the cassowary. To have the cassowary, the largest animal of the rainforest, go extinct along with so many other creatures before it, when timely action could prevent this, would be an appalling indictment of all of us.

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