Anna Scott, Erased Huia

Erased Huia

From the Erased Series
By Anna Scott

Erased Huia forms part of Anna Scott’s ongoing Erased Series, a deeply reflective body of work that emerged from the chance discovery of an old chalkboard destined for the skip. Recognising both its history and symbolism, Anna reclaimed the board and began exploring themes of loss, memory, and responsibility — themes tightly woven into Aotearoa’s ecological story.

This series acknowledges significant species that have been lost from our whenua, with the huia at its heart. Once a treasured taonga bird, the huia held immense cultural and ecological importance. Its absence is a powerful reminder of the impacts of human action and the fragility of the natural world we rely on.

Created using chalk pastel and charcoal on recycled chalkboards, each artwork carries quiet yet potent symbolism. Chalkboards are surfaces for learning, remembering, rewriting — and erasing. These materials, once used to teach lessons, now hold the lessons we must not forget. Sealed for preservation, the delicate marks remain in place, resisting the erasure they were designed for.

Erased Huia honours the bird’s presence while confronting its loss. As kaitiaki, we are reminded that the living world around us is not ours to own but ours to protect. The artwork becomes both memorial and call to action.

The last confirmed huia sighting in Aotearoa was in 1907 — a date that echoes through this series as a caution and a responsibility.

Media: Recycled chalkboards; sealed chalk pastel & charcoal
Dimensions: 1025 × 890 mm
Series: Erased Series
Artist: Anna Scott – Taranaki, Aotearoa