Hierarchy of needs is an immersive exhibition by Tai Snaith focusing on the important roles animals play in Earth’s biodiversity.
Hierarchy of needs features animals from Tai’s latest picture book Wonders under the sun: a collection of daytime creatures, published by Thames and Hudson. In this book over 280 animals, from the tiniest pollinators to the heaviest giants, are classified into unusual and humorous groupings, from Legless Legends to Spotted Bottoms, and are presented alongside factual information on each species and their habitat.
For this exhibition, Snaith, inspired by the well-known pyramid of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, 1943, explores the different needs of her favourite creatures, from food and water to play and work. Her series of collaged, hand-cut, and painted artworks depict animals with meticulous detail, encouraging curiosity, and stressing the importance of looking after the environment and caring for Country. The exhibition includes a large-scale mural, new animations and dioramas.

Tai Snaith, We belong together (Macaroni penguins), 2022, gouache and ink on cotton rag. Courtesy the artist and Bayside Gallery, Melbourne
Bayside Gallery
11 March to 7 May 2023
Melbourne