The rhinoceros was loaded onto a ship and made the voyage around the continent of Africa to Lisbon, following the recently charted sea-faring route of Vasco da Gama. Albuquerque, in turn, re-gifted the rhinoceros to his king, King Manuel I of Portugal. The rhinoceros that inspired Durer’s print was originally a gift from Sultan Muzaffar Shah II, ruler of Gujarat, to representatives of Alfonso du Albuquerque, governor of Portuguese India, who had been sent north to negotiate further colonial efforts. There are two really provocative aspects of this print – the fact that Durer never saw a rhinoceros in real life, and the foreshadowing tale of the particular rhinoceros pictured. When we began to discuss the extinction of the Western Black Rhinoceros, as well as the dramatic decline of the Northern White Rhinoceros, Durer’s print seemed a natural reference. Most recently she has begun to think of her practice as akin to a particle accelerator – sending beams of ideas to collide with one another to see what new ideas and directions can be found.Ĭan you explain why you choose Durer’s Rhino as a subject of your work?Īs artists with backgrounds in printmaking and papermaking, we are familiar with Albrecht Durer’s woodblock, The Rhinoceros, as a significant and well-recognized print from art history. These narratives are not limited to only her imagery, materials, landscape, and location inform the work. Michelle Wilson’s work focuses on intersecting narratives, inviting viewers to consider a crossroads of ideas: politics and the environment, colonialism and natural history, language and how it informs thought, and the loss of diversity. She sustains a farm with her brother in Northern California where she tends and harvests plants for fiber, dyes, food, and healing. Her work takes form as paintings, textiles, books, collaborative installations, and social practice inquiries – all with a keen interest in the material research and storytelling behind them. She sees art-making as a tool for digesting and meditating on experiences – both singular and collective, local and universal. We are both interdisciplinary thinkers who share an interest in art history, papermaking, and how environmental concerns are interwoven with socio-economic and political issues.Īnne’s creative practice arises from a deep curiosity and desire for understanding. Can you tell us more about your art practices? The Rhinoceros Project is a collaborative, participative art project initiated by Anne Beck and Michelle Wilson. “Together, through a shared sewing circle, a community is built”. Embroidery, an intimate and meditative act, becomes collective, creating bonds between the participants the theme of the rhino’s extinction opens the door to broader reflections on globalization and the urgency of changing human priorities. With their fragile appearance, these light drawings lead us to reflect on the imminent disappearance of the rhinoceros, creating a dialogue around issues of loss and questioning the value systems in our societies. A life-size version was used as a matrix to create delicate watermarks in handmade paper. The artists have brought the embroidered image of Durer’s rhinoceros to several communities, gathering many embroidery circles around them. Anne Beck and Michelle Wilson are the creators of ‘The rhinoceros project’.
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