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February 10, 2026 — 6:00am
In Ancient Egypt, animals were frequently bred for the afterlife, destined to become sacrifices to the gods.
Today, the Nicholson Collection at the Chau Chak Wing Museum holds 14 of these linen-wrapped animal mummies – including cats, ibises and crocodiles – once entombed in vaults and catacombs as votive offerings.
Western Australian sculptor Abdul-Rahman Abdullah has dedicated much of his practice to exploring the intricate relationship between humans and the natural world. Living on a cattle station with his wife, Anna, and their two children, Abdullah’s daily life is surrounded by “chickens and a tank full of fish”, but notably, “no pets”.
In May 2024, when the museum invited him to develop a solo show inspired by this 19th-century collection, he was particularly struck by three mummified baby crocodiles, originally preserved in ceramic jars.
In response, Abdullah created five intricate hand carvings representing feral animals in the Australian landscape. Rendered in semi-mummified forms, the sculptures include a blue heeler, a pig, a fox, a rabbit and a cat.
“I’m drawing a very wobbly line to forever and perpetuity, and a straight line to animals introduced to Australia,” Abdullah explains. “As a result of unforeseen events, these species were given a whole new life in a new country.
“The Australian landscape was not prepared for these apex creatures; once they arrived, they thrived and went feral. The environment is still bearing the cost, yet from the animals’ perspective, it is a paradise.”
The exhibition, Undying, also shines a light on animals that died in the service of science. Abdullah notes that until recently, taxidermy displays were central to museum collections worldwide, often serving as a “story of empire”.
To address this, he created models of pigeons among thousands of rare ornithological objects in the museum’s natural history collection. “It is a bitter irony,” he says, “that to study creatures, we kill them all.”
Undying marks Abdullah’s first solo museum show and his first solo exhibition in Sydney. “Coming from WA, it’s a landmark show for me,” he says. “The majority of these works have never been seen before.”
The commission, partly funded by Creative Australia, predates the 2024 controversy surrounding Abdullah’s social media posts regarding the war in Gaza, an event that led to his resignation from the board of the National Gallery of Australia.
The Muslim Australian artist declines to comment on these events, saying he wants the work to speak for itself.
Abdullah’s move into sculpture began 20 years ago as an illustrator and model maker, eventually designing animal enclosures at the Perth Zoo.
