Monique Auricchio is celebrated for her deft technical skills as a printmaker and painter, and her imaginative, dreamlike imagery. Her work is inspired by the creatures of the natural world, the wonder they evoke, and the interconnectedness of all living beings.
During the pandemic, Auricchio spent a lot of time in her garden, connecting intimately with nature and focussing on the diverse beauty of the precarious, intricate, mysterious, minute creatures she encountered there. This quiet period of introspection led her to draw comparisons with the fragility and symbiotic nature of these creatures, and the challenges we as humans were facing at that time.
While most of her work appears calm on the surface, there is an underlying sense of unease in these images, as we the viewers are acutely aware of the vulnerable nature of these beings.
“The elegant daddy long legs, hairy caterpillars which float on by via an invisible silk thread, the incredibly delicate yet feared mosquito, the fine hairs, segments, the different antennae on each creature… these observations have all found their way into my work, whether it’s a realistic interpretation or a more morphed creature.” – Monique Auricchio, 2022.
Mini Beasts invites us into a microcosm where wonder, beauty and curious familiarities can be discovered in an unfamiliar world.
