Sandman

In this nostalgic reimagining of 1970s Australian surf culture, Phil Hayes presents the Tasmanian Tiger not as an extinct curiosity, but as an everyday companion. Reclining casually in the back of a bright yellow Holden Sandman, a young woman shares the space with a domesticated Thylacine, rendered with the same familiarity as a family dog. Through soft hyper-realism and strong period detail, Hayes imagines an alternate Australia where the Thylacine survived and became embedded within ordinary suburban life, transforming a symbol of extinction into one of companionship and cultural identity.