- Long Eared Grey Bat, 2022
- Spear Nosed Bat, 2022
- Pollinator Bat, 2022
- Proboscis Nosed Bat, 2022
The colourful work Dragon Island originally formed part of the installation Thunder, Crackle & Magic (2025), just like HELLMOUTH 5 (2025). Here it becomes a habitat for four enlarged bat sculptures.
Bats are often seen as underdogs and are not always appreciated. Yet these dark creatures have something to tell us, Chetwynd believes. That is why she gave these bats T-shirts with climate slogans — an absurd but powerful image of an unexpected messenger. After all, the climate crisis has a direct impact on these animals.
The artist also admires bats for their behaviour. They care well for their young and are essential to the ecosystem. More than five hundred plant species depend on bats for pollination. With their remarkably strong immune systems, bats also show how resilience and care can go together.
Between 2018 and 2022, Chetwynd created a series of bat sculptures as part of the project The Futurology Kiosk. As in her Bat Opera (2003), she worked with recyclable materials, emphasising how reuse and reciprocity can also be artistic principles.
Animals appear frequently in her work. Chetwynd’s salamanders, snails, bats and other creatures are playful yet political. They are hybrid figures that bring together opposites and raise questions about power, care and living together.