Still Life, Memento Mori - Hannibal and Clarice Ed. 1 of 8

For lovers of literature and symbolism, this is a statement piece of still-life art.

I love a good psycho-thriller, and Silence of the Lambs is certainly a classic. It wasn't until I started editing the image, that I began affectionately referring to the skulls as Hannibal and Clarice. Possibly the large Moth population was a trigger. Who knew there were so many beautiful varieties of moths? As well as symbolising metamorphosis, the moth seeks the light in darkness. Not unlike the gorgeous books in the image (thanks Valentine's Antiques), which teach us that we can seek knowledge and wisdom in order to 'see the light.'
The skulls are a sharp reminder that our time here is short. Don't waste it.

Printed by a Master printer.

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Lauren Starr is an Australian photo-media artist whose work explores women’s stories through history, folklore, fairytale, and the Australian landscape. Drawing on colonial histories, personal ancestry, and mythic archetypes, she creates narrative works that reimagine the past through a contemporary lens.

Working with staged photography, painterly textures, and digital compositing, Starr constructs richly layered images that sit between reality and myth. Her practice is particularly concerned with memory, inheritance, belonging, and the ways women’s lives become embedded within landscape.

Recent bodies of work have explored female narratives from the Victorian goldfields, acts of re-wilding and reclamation, and the enduring relationship between women, story, and place.

Starr is the recipient of the 2022 Bluethumb Art Prize (Photography Category and Grand Prize). Her work has been acquired by Parliament House Melbourne and Bendigo Art Gallery, and has been recognised through the Waterhouse Natural Science Art Prize, Ravenswood Women's Prize, Olive Cotton Award, Head On Photo Awards, and other national exhibitions.

www.laurenstarr.com.au
@laurenstarrartist