Free as a Bird, 2021

In this series, Heimler & Proc reflect on freedom, reconnection and humanity’s increasingly fragile relationship with the natural world in the aftermath of COVID-19. The subject emerged from a renewed awareness of nature as a vital space of refuge, restoration and possibility after a period of unprecedented confinement.

Comprising large vertical diptychs, the works juxtapose meticulously rendered New Zealand landscapes with native flora and birdlife, while distant architectural structures appear as subtle traces of human civilisation. Within these expansive environments, large nude figures occupy the foreground, their awkward poses and tense, self-conscious expressions creating a striking contrast with the vitality of the surrounding landscape.

The figures appear simultaneously liberated and displaced, suggesting both a longing for freedom and an uncertainty about how to inhabit the natural world. Through this tension, Free as a Bird invites reflection on belonging, vulnerability and our desire to reconnect with the earth that sustains us.