Huia Erased

Huia Erased 

By Anna Scott

Huia Erased is a quiet yet powerful call to presence, remembrance, and protection. Honouring the huia, a taonga species lost to extinction, this work forms part of Anna Scott’s evolving Erased Series, which reflects on the fragile stories of Aotearoa’s native birds and the lessons their absence teaches us.

Drawn in chalk and charcoal onto an original classroom chalkboard, the artwork carries deep symbolism. Chalkboards are spaces of learning, rewriting, and erasure. Chalk itself is a medium designed to disappear. By choosing these materials, Anna highlights how easily history can be wiped away and how vital it is to actively remember, teach, and protect.

The huia’s presence on this repurposed board invites viewers to consider what we pass down and what we allow to fade. It speaks to the dangers of repeating past mistakes, reminding us that the loss of the huia was not inevitable but the result of human choices.

Within Aotearoa’s layered landscapes, we are kaitiaki, caretakers of all that remains. Huia Erased asks us to slow down, listen deeply, and consider the enduring messages held within our land and its stories. The land speaks, if we make space to hear it.

Media: Chalk & charcoal on original chalkboard (sealed)
Dimensions: 810 × 380 mm
Series: Erased Series
Price: $1507
Artist: Anna Scott – Taranaki, Aotearoa