Pamela Pauline, Once Was (ART & CONCEPTUAL 2025)

Once Was is a layered photographic landscape that bears witness to Australia’s vanishing biodiversity. Featuring sixteen threatened bird species, over 30 threatened flora alongside seven threatened marsupials, this artwork is a visual archive of species teetering on the edge of extinction in 2025. Each photograph, taken by myself with the guidance of wildlife and horticultural specialists, is a testament to what still exists—but for how long? Australia has the highest rate of extinction in the developed world. Once Was invites reflection on what we stand to lose and asks us to act before these species exist only in memory.

Images have been resized for web display, which may cause some loss of image quality. Note: Original high-resolution images are used for judging.