Artist Statement:
Museum diorama containing animal taxidermy remain a morbid, yet intriguing heritage of the imperial past rendering the threat of the wild as docile bodies in domesticated nature tableaux — frozen as if in stone. ‘DIORAMA: Interrupted’, is a photo-essay on taxidermy dioramas at the Durban Natural History Museum, The photo-essay is mainly populated by bird species. The photographs, printed as botanical anthotypes — a Victorian printing process — render the perpetual limbo of the taxidermy object undone. In the faded ephemera of the anthotypes, dusty museum wraiths return to nature as 'ghosts'.
Artist Bio:
Ann-Marie Tully is a South African artist working with drawing, printmaking and object (including sculpture, textile-arts, ceramics, and contemporary jewellery). She is a co-founder of Art Print Studio KZN, and a member of The Printing Girls; with artwork represented in significant art collections, including the Johannesburg Art Gallery and the Oliewenhuis Art Museum. Her sixth solo exhibition, Diluvian Delft took place at Knysna Fine Art in 2017.
Ann-Marie’s themes dive-deep into the interactions and intersections of human-animal-plant-beings, myths, cosmologies, divinatory, and totemic symbolism; also engaging situated historical content, and cognitive archaeology − probing the 'deep time' of human culture and natural history. Indigenous spiritual knowledge relating to her migratory origins, and where she currently lives in Durban, KZN is an area of interest; along with botanical and alchemical mediums (plant dyes, inks, emulsions), and epistemologies are a constant fascination.
Ann-Marie has also worked extensively as a lecturer, educator, and researcher in the arts education sector. She is currently serving as a Jewellery Design lecturer in the Fine Art & Jewellery Design Department at the Durban University of Technology. She holds a cum laude Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of the Witwatersrand.
Ann-Marie’s themes dive-deep into the interactions and intersections of human-animal-plant-beings, myths, cosmologies, divinatory, and totemic symbolism; also engaging situated historical content, and cognitive archaeology − probing the 'deep time' of human culture and natural history. Indigenous spiritual knowledge relating to her migratory origins, and where she currently lives in Durban, KZN is an area of interest; along with botanical and alchemical mediums (plant dyes, inks, emulsions), and epistemologies are a constant fascination.
Ann-Marie has also worked extensively as a lecturer, educator, and researcher in the arts education sector. She is currently serving as a Jewellery Design lecturer in the Fine Art & Jewellery Design Department at the Durban University of Technology. She holds a cum laude Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of the Witwatersrand.
- Ann-Marie Tully - Romancing the Stone
- "Look Up!" Group Exhibition
- Botanical Anthotype, wax
- 28 x 28 cm
