My work is based on a death mask of an orangutan, cast in polyurethane and layered in 24 karat gold leaf. Symbolic of commodity and commercial value, the gold leaf is a fitting material to represent the orangutan on the edge of extinction due to deforestation for financial gain. The value of nature commodity versus commercial is in question. The death mask sits on a base made of Jelutong veneer wood, which is the trees the orangutan inhabits. Made from offcuts found at a cabinetmaker's workshop, the base acts as a coffin for the golden death mask to sit upon.
Courtesy of Karen Woodbury Gallery
24 karat gold leaf, polyurethane, Indian opal, Jelutong veneer
50 x 30 x 40 cm
Finalist
Judges of the 2011 Woollahra Small Sculpture Prize: Dr Gene Sherman AM (Executive Director of Sherman Contemporary Art Foundation) and Professor Ted Snell AM (Chair of the Visual Arts Board, Australia Council).
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