CONTEMPORARY ART STOCKROOM Michelle Molinari

Bee-eater (after Hokusai) 2025, oil on aluminium, 60cm x 40cm , framed. On exhibition at ArtHouse, RACV Goldfields Resort

I explore the intriguing and complex ways in which animals have been depicted in both Eastern and Western art traditions, with a focus on the contrasting visual language of Japanese ukiyo-e and European painting. These two art forms, though separated by geography and culture, often present animals as symbols, creatures of beauty, or subjects that communicate deeper themes about humanity and nature. Through this body of work, I seek to highlight the nuanced differences and similarities in how these two worlds perceive and represent the animal kingdom, by forming a dialogue between the past and present; the dead and the living; and our relationship with the natural world.

Borrowing from the composition of Hokusai's Hototogisu satsuki 子規 杜鵑花 (Lesser cuckoo and azalea) the work replaces the subject for that of a bee-eater bird the manner of Ukiyo-e style, to juxtapose against the lifeless bee-eater that sits within in the foreground.