Rituals are important. They help us understand some of the circumstances that we will encounter in our lifetime, they prepare our minds to cope with them and, much more importantly, they foster healing from the losses we experience in our lives.

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We need such help now, as our planet enters the sixth mass extinction. In the last 40 years, earth has lost half of its population of wild animals, with some of these species also suffering greatly from human exploitation.

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This tragedy is made worse when one considers that, throughout history, 

many of these animals helped us become who we are, as a human society -- we ate their meat and utilized their skins; we learned from their strength, adaptability, and knowledge of survival;  we tested medicines and chemicals on them; and we have continually been inspired by their beauty, agility, and power. how are we going to cope when they are gone?

 

Art is a powerful tool to address some of the issues that trouble our lives.  It helps us comprehend the essential meaning of life and discern what is truly important. “The extinction rituals” is both: my artistic protest of this massive and accelerating loss of life and biodiversity, and a personal creative process to help me cope with it. To express myself, I used different media and formats:  sculptures, paintings, installations, and photographs. They each speak a distinct and powerful language. they will try to seduce you and also to provoke an unsettled feeling. they may even crush your heart.

 

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