Rossella Picciani
ARTIST BIOGRAPHY
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Italian born I migrated at the age of 2 with my parents and have lived in Melbourne ever since .
School of Art at Preston Technical College for 2 years.
Prahran College Art and Design
Graduated Graphic Designer
I have been painting and exhibiting for 15 years.
My work is comprised of densely-intricate arrangements of symbols which I have collected from eastern and western mysticism, Jungian psychology, extinct languages, scientific symbols, industrial icons, information graphics and symbols I have designed myself.
ARTIST'S REASON FOR PARTICIPATING
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I feel for the plight of the orangutan and the animals that share their environment.
Orang-utans deserve to live their lives as nature intended, free and un-harassed.
By participating in this exhibition I hope to help raise awareness (if only a little) of how these beautiful creatures are suffering.
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You can find me on - www.rossellapicciani.com
And Facebook – www.facebook.com/rossellapiccianiart.
BONITA
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From Captivity to Canopy
In February 2014, a two-year-old female orangutan named Bonita was rescued by International Animal Rescue (IAR) Indonesia from a mining village near Padang Bunga, West Kalimantan. She had been purchased by a man from a hunter who had killed and eaten her mother— a tragic but common fate for wild orangutan infants. When the man prepared to leave the area, he attempted to sell Bonita illegally. Fortunately, IAR’s forest monitoring team received a tip-off, and a rescue operation was swiftly launched.
Bonita arrived at the IAR centre in Ketapang showing clear signs of trauma and neglect. She had dull hair, skin irritation, and marks around her neck indicating she had been chained. Though her background was bleak, her spirit was strong. She passed her first health checks and showed promising early skills, including the ability to climb trees.
After completing her quarantine, Bonita entered baby school and quickly impressed her carers with her forest skills. She was soon moved to forest school, but being the smallest orangutan there, she struggled with the dominance of the older juveniles. Eventually, she returned to baby school where she thrived once again— gaining confidence, climbing with independence, and bonding with other young orangutans like Gunung, Joyce, and Rika.
After years of dedicated rehabilitation, Bonita was released into Bukit Baka Bukit Raya National Park in December 2020, alongside four other orangutans. Her release was carried out in collaboration with BKSDA West Kalimantan and TNBBBR authorities. Bonita is now thriving in the wild, foraging, nesting, and adapting beautifully to her new life— a true testament to her resilience and the unwavering commitment of her rescue and care teams.
