Sarah Conti - Ways Women Disappear

Works purchased from this exhibition will ship in time to arrive before December 25th.

This work explores the permeation of patriarchal and colonial agendas in our world and how nothing we touch can escape these impacts- including ornithology.  All of these species are named after dead, white men, most with despicable pasts and beliefs; by honoring them we dishonor women and people of color. The females of each pair of birds are sculpted in porcelain to represent the vanishing of these species, whose populations are perilously low and continuing to decline. The females attempt to flee as the males chase, loom, and jeer over them.  Many male birds are larger, more patterned, or more colorful than their female counterparts, due to this males are often the focus of research, conservation, and interest. This view parallels society’s treatment of men as more important and worthy of reverence. The continuous erasure of women’s lives, experiences, and contributions is inescapable. Without protecting women and female birds, life ceases to exist.