Julia deVille

Bringing the age-old practice of taxidermy to the modern masses, Julia deVille creates contemporary ‘memento mori’ that the Australian Design Centre believes piques interest and curiosity in the medium through the use of paradoxical processes and materials.

Driven by a strong commitment to animal rights, deVille’s whimsical creations combine precious gems and metals with antique ‘ready-mades’, and aim to challenge our disregard for and consumption of both wild and domesticated fauna. Commissioned in 2011 by MONA to create a permanent installation, deVille also won the City of Hobart Art Prize in 2012, and the Woollahra Small Sculpture Prize in 2014, and regularly exhibits both locally and internationally.

Image: Rocking Alpaca, 2014. Photo by Terence Bogue