Artist Statement
Missing: Tales of Extinction
As a result of humanity’s global influence and industrialization, species throughout the world
have experienced endangerment and erasure – this age has been classified as the sixth mass
extinction 1. While extinction is often considered to be binary – to exist or to not – extinction
can have various classifications. This illustrated series brings the issue of extinction and its
spectrum to the forefront, depicting four diverse animals that have been uniquely affected
by human industry. Each of these animals has faced erasure to varying degrees of severity
that range from the brink to the irreversible.
The Tapanuli orangutan has been declared critically endangered, with less than 800
remaining.2 The Spix’s macaw (blue macaw), originating from the Caatinga in Brazil, has
been declared extinct in the wild as of 2019, and is primarily found in captivity and
conservation sites with efforts of reintroduction.3 The northern white rhino has been
declared functionally extinct, with only two female rhinos remaining in Kenya – research to
introduce lab-made embryos through vitro fertilization to the rhinos is ongoing. 4 Since 2007,
the baiji (Yangtze River dolphin) has been declared missing in the Yangtze River of China –
the first known dolphin species to become extinct as a result of human activity5.
1 World Wildlife Fund
2 Orangutan Conservancy
3 American Bird Conservancy
4 Ol Pejeta Conservancy
5 Whale and Dolphin Conservation