Bordalo II’s Happy Quokkas Bring Big Trash Animals to Fremantle, Australia
Portuguese artist Bordalo II has brought his celebrated Big Trash Animals to Western Australia with Happy Quokkas, a large-scale public artwork installed in Fremantle in collaboration with Piazza Fremantle. Constructed from discarded materials, the sculpture transforms one of Western Australia’s most recognisable native animals into an expressive reminder of the wildlife living alongside our increasingly waste-heavy world.
Happy Quokkas in detail, Fremantle, Western Australia. Image © Bordalo II.
Bordalo II’s Happy Quokkas in Fremantle
Quokkas are small marsupials native to Western Australia, famous internationally for the facial expression that has earned them a reputation as one of the world’s happiest-looking animals. Their cheerful appearance gives Bordalo II an unusually playful subject, yet the environmental message beneath the work remains characteristic of his wider practice.
The species is officially classified as Vulnerable in Western Australia and at Commonwealth level, with mainland populations particularly affected by habitat change, introduced predators and environmental pressures.
The animal also carries a deep connection to Western Australia. The word quokka has roots in the languages of the Noongar people of south-west Western Australia, where historical records contain several related names for the species.
Big Trash Animals Made From Discarded Materials
Like Bordalo II’s other Big Trash Animals, Happy Quokkas is assembled from materials that have already passed through human hands. Plastics, manufactured components and discarded objects are layered together until rubbish begins to resemble fur, muscle and expression.
The contradiction is fundamental to the series. Bordalo II uses waste associated with the degradation of natural habitats to reconstruct the animals affected by those same pressures, allowing the material itself to carry part of the environmental message.
In Happy Quokkas, that tension is softened by the personality of the animals. Their open expressions invite people towards the sculpture before the discarded materials gradually reveal themselves, creating a shift from delight to recognition.
Happy Quokkas, Fremantle, Western Australia. Image © Bordalo II.
Waste, Wildlife and Public Space
Installed in the public space of Piazza Fremantle, Happy Quokkas becomes part of everyday movement through the city. Its scale makes the animals difficult to overlook, while closer inspection reveals the familiar remnants of consumption embedded within their bodies.
This relationship between place, species and discarded material has become central to Bordalo II’s international practice. From the Trash Sharks created in Tahiti to the Balloon Fish in Trafaria, the animals change according to their surroundings, while the underlying question remains consistent: what happens to the natural world when the materials we consume continue long after we have thrown them away?
Australian Wildlife in Bordalo II’s Art
Happy Quokkas continues Bordalo II’s engagement with Australian wildlife. GraffitiStreet previously documented his giant Koala created for RestArt Urban Festival in 2020, while we have also exhibited his Eastern Quoll (Neutral), 2025, a unique studio work depicting another native Australian marsupial.
Together, the quokka, koala and eastern quoll reveal how Bordalo II repeatedly returns to distinctive Australian species as vehicles for exploring wildlife, waste and environmental vulnerability.
Discover Bordalo II at GraffitiStreet
Explore Bordalo II artworks at GraffitiStreet and discover more about the materials, wildlife and environmental ideas behind his work in our complete guide to Bordalo II’s Big Trash Animals.
Bordalo II – Eastern Quoll FX (2025)
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Images © Bordalo II except where otherwise credited.