Evelyn D. Anca

I'm an environmental activist, primatologist, and multidisciplinary artist dedicated to conservation. As an artist, I use painting, photography, and sculptures to raise awareness and communicate science on issues such as plastic pollution, endangered species, illegal wildlife trade and more. My art incorporates materials such as plastic waste, driftwood and tires to highlight challenges in protecting wildlife and natural habitats. As a primatologist, I focus on human-primate interactions and how they affect conservation and human culture. 'Tales From The Amazon' is a project inspired by my fieldwork in the Amazon, that reflects the deep interconnectedness of forests, primates, and cultural identity in the Amazonian ecosystem. 

The exhibition made from these type of artworks contributed to primate conservation by reaching over 500 visitors and serving as a platform to communicate the cultural and ecological importance of primates, making distant conservation issues accessible to new audiences. By triangulating different forms of knowledge, conservation challenges, and cultural identity, it offered a holistic view of human–primate relations in the Amazon. The exhibition also helped raise funds, with 25% donated to Neotropical Primate Conservation and the remaining funds will be invested to extend this research as the foundation of my PhD and for the fieldwork I will conduct. Looking forward, this approach demonstrates how visual storytelling can inspire more inclusive and impactful conservation strategies. 

Personal website - https://www.evi-art.com/

Exhibition page on my website - https://www.evi-art.com/tales

Publication of the study that inspired this work - https://ethnobiomed.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13002-023-00616-1