Project Description

Naturaleza Muerta (Still Life) is a new installation by Redwood City artist Elizabeth Gomez. The interdisciplinary artist presents a narrative about the human interaction with local, wild animals in the suburbs. Wildlife is a critical part of a healthy and resilient ecosystem. Habitat loss, often due to suburban expansion, is a major threat to diversity survival for the animal communities.

Naturaleza Muerta was inspired by the death of a mountain lion in 2011 in Redwood City. Gomez recalls the story of local authorities shooting and killing a mountain lion that was cornered in a Redwood City’s backyard. A spokesman said that a 120-pound female was hissing at them and so instead of calling animal control for relocation, shot and killed the animal. This event focused Gomez to the unfair and deadly clash between humans and the wildlife. She began to question if animals had to die so that she could live in Redwood City? She also started noticing the many dead crows, squirrels, raccoons, and deer during her daily walks around her neighborhood.

Still Life is a traditional genre of painting that depicts inanimate objects including food, dead animals or flowers. These historic paintings often portray hunted wildlife such as ducks or hares hanging upside down from a kitchen sill. Naturaleza muerta in Spanish literally means dead nature.  Gomez created life-sized stuffed animals that represent local Redwood City wildlife dead from their interaction with humans.

A deer, a squirrel, a crow, and a mountain lion are hanging from the ceiling similar to classical still life paintings of the past. On the one hand, the animal sculptures represent our child-like awe cute and cuddly animals which are often given as presents. On the other hand, the animals represent the horrific reality of our deadly interaction with them in our own backyards.

Gomez believes and hopes that humans can still reverse this lethal trend and learn to coexist and respect local wildlife. If you want to support their marvelous efforts please go to: openspacetrust.org