Emerging Contemporaries

Akka Ballenger Constantin
Canberra Institute of Technology
Artist statement
“The Lost Ark” is an opportunity of
learning together. This series of drawings,
linocuts and etchings brings back the
focus on the aftermath of the 2019-2020
bush fires and their impact on our unique
Australian fauna.
An interim report, “Australia’s 2019-2020
Bushfires: The Wildlife Toll” commissioned
by WWF Australia concluded that more
than three billion animals were killed or
displaced: 143 million mammals, 2.46
billion reptiles, 180 million birds and 51
million frogs.
I am an art educator, working with young
children. Often, I find myself embracing
their spontaneity in my own artistic
practice and for this body of works I
chose the same informal approach, where
feeling and playfulness prevail, taking over
realistic/ natural illustration detail.
Biography
Romanian-born Akka Ballenger Constantin
has swapped the beloved mountains
of her homeland for the Canberran
grasslands. An almost perfect trade –
although occasionally, she misses the
heights. She explores her surroundings
through keen observation, often focusing
on the unseen detail, rather than on the
obvious scenery.
A multi-disciplinary artist working across
various platforms, she loves mixing new
and old, traditional and contemporary,
digital and analogue. Her practice
combines over 20 years’ experience in
photography and alternate processes,
with other (newly-found) mediums such
as drawing, mixed media, printmaking and
spoken words.
Through these images, I hope to bring
into the limelight some of our unique
species and I would like to encourage the
public not only to learn more about our
wildlife, but also to donate their time and
to support financially the Wildlife rescue
programs.”
Image: The Lost Ark, 2020, paint, canvas, wooden frame,
dimensions variable. Photo: Courtesy of the artist.
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