“Half Leaf (Ope’Ape’A)” by Angaea Cuna

2021
Artists book with handmade paper and paper sculptures
5″ x 7″ x 3″

Sleeping and suspended, my winged sculptures are inspired by the mystery of Hawaii’s endemic mammal the ōpe’ape’a (half-leaf), or the Hoary Bat. Little is known about this hairy beast and they are rarely seen, but I’ve witnessed a flock of myna birds chase away a solitary ōpe’ape’a from a massive lychee tree by my house. My research hypothesizes that the arrival of invasive species or deforestation for tourism has endangered the ōpe’ape’a population. I fear that these beautiful and arcane animals will become extinct if we are not actively preserving our forest and minimizing commercial development in Hawaii. As a sustainable effort within my creative process, I upcycled fruit branches from farms during the pruning season and harvested non-native fruits and recycled paper in the making of my handmade paper for my artist book.