STRANGE KIN | Lamont Gallery, New Hampshire, USA.

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I was really excited to have the opportunity to create an installation for Lamont Gallery's exhibition Strange Kin in 2025. The exhibition was all about the insect kingdom and how the five artists included in the exhibition (Jennifer Angus, Catherine Chalmers, Kate Kato, Ruth Marsh, and Britt Ransom) embrace our affection and comfort in entomology. The work braided pure aesthetic joy with stinging commentary on environmental issues, species decline, and conservation.

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Monarch are one of my favourite butterflies and I wanted to create a piece that not only made you consider the individual butterflies but also their place in the natural world and how they have declined so dramatically over the last few decades. I made 60 butterflies in total, painting vivid patterns on some and the gradually painting them lighter and lighter until all you could see were the white entomology text book pages they were made from. I wanted to reflect their disappearance and the idea that one day it may just be books that we see them in.

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As well as the Monarchs, the insects I have created over the years as part of my Outnumbered project were displayed in a long case, allowing you to see each of their tiny details up close. 

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Photographs: Peter Morse.