Bette Adriaanse
Birds
2009
400 x 220 cm
Paper, charcoal, glue
Two dark birds, drawn with thick charcoal, cut out and mounted on a background of bright white paper. One bird is captured just before a landing, its outstretched claws suggesting the bird is about to grab something. The other bird is in a state of decay, its skeleton visible, its claws retracted, its wing pointing at the other. Stripped from background and enlarged, these birds become something different, emblems of the cycle of life and death.
