Artists statement

"The porous boundaries between human and animal states and the affinity of females and animals are central to my work.

‘The Self Awareness of African Grey Parrots’ is inspired by Austrian poet Rainer Maria Rilke’s ‘Eighth Duino Elegy’, this Elegy captures a kind of mystical relationship between humans and animals and explores animal sentience.

According to the Cambridge Declaration on Consciousness “near human-like levels of consciousness” have been observed in the African Grey Parrot."

Petrina Hicks is an Australian artist who creates largescale photographs drawing from mythology, fairy tales, and historical art imagery to re-frame the contemporary female experience. Animals and females often appear together to represent aspects of psyche and identity, alluding to the complexity of female identity and the sentience of animals.

Petrina Hicks exhibits widely throughout Australia and internationally. Her works are held in the AGNSW, QAG, NGV, NGA and Artbank. Major surveys include NGV and Museum of Australian Photography.