Echo of a Trace
2014–2015
In Echo of a Trace, I explore the fragile and haunted presence of endangered animals—bodies caught in a moment between appearance and erasure. Suspended against hazy, white backgrounds, these creatures seem to hover in a liminal state: not fully present, yet not entirely absent. They are fragmented—horns severed, limbs bound or missing, eyes turned away—each form bearing silent testimony to violence, escape, entrapment, and disappearance.
The series visualizes the fading imprint of life at the edge of extinction. The blank, vaporous space surrounding the animals evokes not only the void left by their absence but also a kind of spiritual suspension—an instant caught between existence and disappearance. The sense of stillness and isolation is intentional: here, suspension becomes both a visual and philosophical device. It suggests a flash of life stabilized just before it vanishes.
At the heart of the work is the irreversible nature of loss and the undeniable presence of the human footprint. Though humans never appear in the images, their impact is inscribed in every wound, every missing part, every constricting line. These animals do not die heroically—they disappear silently, and we barely notice.
Oil on Canvas, 8″x8″
