Artist's Statement: My artwork depicts a deep sea ecosystem that contains snailfish, bioluminescent jellyfish, anglerfish, reefs, whale fall, squid, eel, and marine worm. There is a person exploring inside a deep sea submersible, which exhibits the methods humans utilize to unveil the mysteries of the deep. The fascinating deep sea organisms are located inside and outside of the deep sea submersible. This represents how humans and the creatures of the deep sea are both on Earth but are barred from interaction due to the extremely different environments. Furthermore, my artwork illustrates a person inside the submersible closely observing a snailfish, which was recently discovered for being the deepest living fish. This represents that although the deep sea is mostly unexplored, more hidden wonders of the intriguing ecosystem are gradually being brought to light.

Artist's Statement: The deep sea holds a plethora of mysteries, many of which are haunting and horrifying. Yet, it sparks fascination with its endless opportunity for discovery. The oarfish emerging from the dark represents the discoveries we have already made, and the siphonophore looms as a reminder of the otherworldliness often found in deep sea creatures. The darkness that shrouds both suggest that there is still much to uncover however. The darkness is not an indicator of lifelessness but is pregnant with possibilities. This feeling of mystery but intrigue is further emphasized by the vast biodiversity hidden in the dark, such as the chimaera shark, atolla jellies, schools of lantern fish, hadal snailfish, and the whale remains glinting in the background. Finally, the single light source coming from the viewer's perspective shows the startle and wonder one might feel in discovering and witnessing such creatures swimming by in the dark depths.