Ivy Brown Gallery is proud to present a solo exhibition by Heide Hatry, dedicated to the life and memory of Flaco, the Eurasian Eagle Owl whose escape and survival in New York became a symbol of resilience, freedom, and wonder. His journey through an unfamiliar urban wilderness captured the hearts of a city defined by immigrants, seekers, and survivors—apex and aspirant alike. A German-born artist who arrived in New York in 2004 to pursue a long-deferred creative life, Hatry felt a deep kinship with Flaco’s brief but meaningful odyssey. From the moment she learned of his escape, she was enthralled—drawn into what became an extraordinary, near-mystical relationship with the owl. On more than one occasion, she encountered him up close in Central Park, quietly gathering his regurgitated pellets that contained the bones of his prey—tokens she came to see as offerings. The works in this exhibition—assemblages, altered books, and sculptural meditations—were created throughout Flaco’s time in the wild and after his death, forming a poetic elegy to his spirit. Many pieces that appear in this exhibition are collaborative artist’s book with poet Leonard Schwartz, recently published by Spuyten Duyvil. Other works, created specifically for this exhibition, are being shown for the first time.

“A remarkable encounter between a people and a bird, and between a poet and a visual artist… a spiritual treasure.” — Philip Lopate

“Hatry has also escaped from her artworld cage… a heartfelt tribute to nature’s brave non-human souls.” — Lucy R. Lippard