This is the bizarre yet compelling premise behind Adam Phong’s solo exhibition, “One of our Fossils.”

Curated by Bob Edrian and hosted at A+ Works of Art in Sentul, this show challenges visitors to reimagine humanity’s legacy through the lens of poultry remains.

The exhibition opens with a monumental installation: a wave-like structure crafted entirely from chicken bones, wire, and pencil rods. At 140cm x 1,650cm, the sheer scale of this structure is breathtaking. “I wanted it to be a big piece, to make the viewers – us humans – feel small,” Phong explained.

Born in 2002, Phong is a multidisciplinary artist whose work spans installation, sculpture, sound, and even scent.

He told FMT Lifestyle, that the concept for this exhibition came about during a month-long trip to Indonesia where “ayam penyet” became his staple meal.

“I was so bored that I just started collecting the chicken bones,” he recalled. “That’s just my character – I like to collect things.”

But what started as a quirky habit quickly evolved into a profound exploration of humanity’s imprint on the planet.

“I stumbled upon a scientific paper that tried to figure out what would remain on Earth long after we’re gone. The conclusion was nuclear waste, plastic, and interestingly chicken bones,” Phong shared. This revelation struck a chord.

“We consume over 80 billion chickens annually, so there will potentially be more chicken bones than human bones in the fossil record. That is why I wanted to create a piece that was so monumental to suggest that these chicken bones will outlast us.”

The exhibition unfolds across three rooms, each presenting chicken bones in distinct arrangements. The first room houses the massive wave-like installation.

In the second, there are smaller, scattered sculptures and finally a small box with intricate compositions of bones suggesting how they may be functional objects someday, just like fossil fuels.

“Future civilisations might look at these bones and think they belonged to some giant creature,” he expressed. “Just like how we reconstruct dinosaurs from their remains, they might piece these bones together and wonder: How did they live? Who were they?”

This immersive exhibition extends beyond the visual. Soundtracks composed by Phong himself – a blend of frequencies – create an imagined cave-like environment, allowing visitors to imagine themselves as future archaeologists.

For Phong, the process of collecting chicken bones was as transformative as the final artwork. Over 500 days, he visited restaurants and cafés with plastic bags, asking: “Can I have your chicken bones?” It was an unconventional routine born out of necessity.

“When I started this project, I had no money to buy bones. This was the only way I could accumulate so many,” he said.

“Each of these bones has been in someone’s mouth,” he pointed out. “It’s a portrait of consumption. It’s so personal, yet when placed in this context, it becomes incredibly universal.”

Wiring 20 bones together took an hour, and much of the work was done on the artist’s balcony.

The impact of “One of Our Fossils” extended beyond art. The artist said his life transformed in profound ways over the course of the project.

“When I started this, I was 40 kilograms underweight,” he reveals. “Now, I sleep, eat, and live healthier. My art isn’t just about what I can make. It’s about who I can be.”

“One of Our Fossils” pushes the boundaries of how people perceive art and archaeology. “Scientists want to understand how the world works,” he said. “But art lets us ask what it means to us.”

In the end, the exhibition isn’t just about bones. It’s about perspective -about seeing the mundane through a lens of curiosity and wonder.

And maybe, just maybe, it’s about ensuring that when future archaeologists dig through humankind’s remains, they’ll find not just the fossils of chickens, but the echoes of a civilisation that dared to question its place in time.

‘One of Our Fossils’ is on display from now till Dec 14.

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A+ Works of Art
d6-G-8, d6 Trade Centre, 801
Jalan Sentul, Sentul Selatan
51000 Kuala Lumpur