Mo Ganji: Antiguan Racer | Antiguanische Rennnatter | Alsophis antiguae | No. 012/250 from work group 8/99

Antiguan Racer | Antiguanische Rennnatter | Alsophis antiguae

In a single, continuous line, Mo Ganji outlines the Antiguan racer — a slender, non-venomous snake once pushed to the edge of extinction. The drawing presents only one possible conceptual form, echoing Ganji’s view that any being can be reduced to an idea shaped by perception. The line does not claim to define the species; it simply marks presence, leaving space for the viewer to consider what is known — and what was nearly lost.

Alsophis antiguae is one of the rarest snakes in the world. It is classified as Endangered (EN) on the IUCN Red List. For most of the 20th century, the species survived only on a single tiny offshore islet near Antigua after being wiped out on the main island by introduced predators such as mongooses and rats. In the mid-1990s, only about 50 individuals were known to remain. Intensive conservation work — invasive predator removal, habitat restoration and carefully managed translocations — has since enabled the racer to recover to several hundred individuals distributed across a few predator-free islets.

Despite this progress, the species remains extremely vulnerable. Its entire population depends on a handful of small islands, making it sensitive to hurricanes, reinvasion by predators, disease and habitat disturbance.

Ganji’s minimal line reflects this reality without embellishment. The simplicity of the form mirrors the snake’s precarious history: a species once reduced to a remnant but now slowly reclaiming ecological space. The artwork offers a quiet acknowledgment of resilience — and a reminder that recovery is possible when threats are removed and ecosystems are given room to heal.