Reference — Split Lip Magazine

A print: ghostly white subjects seemingly etched on a stark, black background, with minimal lines suggesting landscape. Waterfowl congregate—standing, swimming, flying. Each bird is numbered. The numbers repeat in clusters, suggesting a time-lapse. — “Reference” by Austin Cullen.
Inkjet print, 24″ x 18.5″, 2021.

Austin Cullen (@austin_cullen) is a Houston-based photographer and printmaker. He received his BFA from Stephen F. Austin State University in 2019, and his MFA from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2022. His current project explores museum natural displays and the natural world, and how they influence and affect one another. This project stems from his long-standing interest in natural history museums and the history of display.