Avifauna at Place des Arts

“I have long been fascinated with birds of all sorts, often shouting ‘HAWK!’ in excitement when I see a bird of prey in the sky or singing back to chickadees and squawking with the crows.” – Molly Gray

Avifauna is an ongoing exploration of linocut relief prints made to-scale of birds that inhabit the Lower Mainland, Vancouver Island and Southern BC Coast. In this ongoing body of work, Molly has created a series of relief prints with watercolour that showcase local birds and fowl with the intention of encouraging viewers to engage with birds and how we perceive them. From song to pollination to pest removal, each bird plays an important role in our ecosystem, with many populations dwindling due to loss of habitat and climate change. It is the artist’s hope that this interactive exhibit will encourage viewers to engage in conversation to protect these creatures from becoming endangered, or worse, extinct in the years to come.