2026 Acrylic on canvas • 75 x 90 cm Original (1 of 1) Presented in a custom floating oak-veneer timber frame (as pictured) Artist Statement ‘Not Concerned’ is rooted in a moment from three weeks ago at Wategos Beach. While surfing, a shark passed within a metre and a half of me. It was a calm, blue-grey presence I optimistically mistook for a dolphin. The work explores the cognitive shift that happened when a local surfer casually noted the shark, pointed to a nearby bait ball, and paddled off without alarm. This piece investigates the fallibility of our instincts. While we are taught to scan for danger, my primary impulse was to assume grace rather than threat. It moves away from demonised imagery, instead positioning sharks as sovereign inhabitants of a shared home. A meditation on the risks of optimism and the quiet composure required to play in the wild. Provenance 01 March 2026 — Completed in studio, Gold Coast 07 - 28 March 2026 — On display at Gallery8, Gold Coast
