The Cambodia Series
Deborah Kruger’s
Environmental artwork about the endangered Bengal Florican
One critically endangered bird that has deeply touched my heart is the stately Bengal Florian. A ground-dwelling member of the pheasant family, it is also known as a bustard. Its quiet elegance and rarity have inspired many of my artworks. Below is one of my drawings of the Bengal Florican along with an example of how it translates to ceramics.
Since approximately half of the world’s remaining Bengal Floricans are found in Cambodia, I was inspired to create a series of artworks shaped like the map of Cambodia itself. By choosing this distinctive form, I wanted to go beyond simply depicting the bird—I aimed to reflect the intimate relationship between species and place. The shape of the country becomes not just a backdrop, but a symbol of refuge, resilience, and the fragile hope that still exists for these remarkable birds. Presenting the pieces in the outline of Cambodia adds a powerful layer of meaning, connecting the survival of the Bengal Florican to the land that has become its final stronghold.
The Bengal Florican is a ground-dwelling bustard, elegant and elusive, and now critically endangered. According to current estimates, fewer than 800 remain in the wild. About half of that number—roughly 400 birds—live in scattered grasslands across Cambodia. The others are spread across parts of Nepal and India. Sadly, despite the bird’s name, there are no Bengal Floricans left in Bengal. This extinction from their original namesake is a sobering reminder of the rapid loss of habitat and biodiversity in our time.
Yet amid the crisis, there are glimmers of hope. In recognition of the bird’s dire status, Cambodia has established the Bengal Florican Conservation Area, a bold initiative aimed at preserving the species’ last viable habitat. Conservationists, researchers, and local communities are now working together to protect the grasslands these birds depend on for survival. The Florican’s future hangs in the balance, but the efforts underway are a testament to what can happen when people unite around a shared responsibility to protect the natural world.
The Cambodia Series:
Through my artwork, I hope to not only honor the Bengal Florican’s beauty and scarcity but also to bring attention to its plight. Art has the power to stir empathy, provoke thought, and inspire action—and in the case of the Bengal Florican, I believe its story deserves to be both seen and heard.
Over the course of three years, I created a series of five artworks shaped like the map of Cambodia. The first three—Harbinger, Cambodia, and Missing—feature predominantly blue and turquoise feathers, evoking a sense of calm, fragility, and loss. Later, I introduced more vibrant colors in the final two pieces, Habitat and Homeland, symbolizing resilience, diversity, and the complex beauty of the Bengal Florican’s environment.
(Click on image to view the detail of these spectacular works)
On Display:
The Cambodia series struck a chord and have appeared in exhibitions in the US, Mexico and Italy. In 2023, I was a finalist for the Arte Laguna Prize and Missing and Homeland were chosen to be exhibited at the Arsenal Nord in Venice.
Habitat was shown twice in Mexico, first at the Cultural Center in Chapala and two years later, at a private gallery in Mexico City.
Harbinger was chosen for a climate-themed exhibition at the Bernard Heller Gallery in New York City.
