Miguel Gamez-Macias | Art

"If i wasn't born so vulnerable"
2026
Ceramic installation, reflective shelves

Zebra sharks are listed as endangered on the IUCN red list, with primary causes being human interaction: The hunting for meat, finning, bycatch, trawling, and coastal destruction of their natural habitats. They are slow and peaceful. They pose no threat to a human. They mature slowly, and lay 1-4 eggs, dubbed 'mermaid purses' at a time. Fortunately, there is a global movement to protect these species and aid in their population recovery through breeding conservation programs.

These ceramic representations of the 'lucky mermaid purse' utilizes a speckled clay and opalescent glaze. When fired together, the glaze reacts with the clay body to create striking pools of opalescent color, dots, stripes and crystallization.

The purpose of this project is to create ceramic shark eggs, that when grouped together they weigh the equivalent of two zebra sharks. The weight of these eggs rely on that of their parents. These pouches are symbols of life, and symbols of hope for an endangered population.

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