King is recognised as one of Australia’s foremost contemporary printmakers. As well as completing residencies in France, Morocco, India and Antarctica, he has won numerous awards, including the WAMA Art Prize (2023), National Print and Drawing Prize (2022), Hazelhurst Art on Paper Award (2022) and Muswellbrook Drawing Prize (2019). His work can be found in public collections at the British Museum, National Gallery of Australia, National Gallery of Victoria and Art Gallery of New South Wales, among others.

False ornithology III white winged fairy wren presents a true embodiment of a visual cabinet of curiosity — a space where science, memory, and imagination coalesce. This work draws on natural history not as a static record but as a living, shifting memory archive, conjuring a sense of wonder tinged with unease. False ornithology III white winged fairy wren further blurs the line between observation and illusion, revealing the artist’s ongoing dialogue with the paradoxes of nature and uncertainty of classification.


Senior Printmaker at the Australian Print Workshop since 1994, King’s work is elegant, evocative and esteemed. A compelling draw for collectors of natural history-inspired and conceptually rich works, False ornithology III white winged fairy wren captivates with its blend of scientific reference and poetic ambiguity—offering a rare convergence of observation, illusion, and evocative narrative.

Martin KING (1957 - )
'false ornithology III white winged fairy wren'
etching, drypoint and chine colle on paper
Edition of 30
Image Size: 15 x 20 cm
Dimensions: 35 x 38 x 5 cm
Signed: Signed, editioned and inscribed under image
Comes with Letter of Provenance
Condition:Excellent:
(c) The Artist or Assignee