2013. Download PDF — 2013. Descargar PDF

2010. Download PDF — 2010. Descargar PDF

UN JARDÍN DE INSECTOS QUE PARECEN PLANTAS

“'Jardín de insectos' es una obra donde la artista colombiana utiliza su recurrente fascinación por la naturaleza para plasmar en el tiempo la escena de un jardín de plantas. Pero al mirar de cerca lo que parecen ser ramitas y hojas, se destacan ciertas características de esas ramificaciones que no son tan aleatorias. Lentamente, con el simple ejercicio de observar, se definen y se ordenan para formar diminutas patas y antenas, hasta que, casi por accidente, descubrimos que toda la escena es una colección de insectos, los cuales han sido creados por la naturaleza con ese propósito: confundir nosotros.

Lo que atrae la atención de Cardoso sobre estos pequeños animales es la capacidad que tienen para parecer algo que no son y mezclarse con su entorno. Curiosamente, este es un consejo que los seres humanos intentan aplicar en su vida cotidiana para pertenecer a un entorno y no ser reconocidos como extraños. Es un análisis entre la raza humana y el mundo animal. Al igual que el mimetismo, es una cuestión de comportamiento. Por instinto, estos animales saben que no basta con parecer una ramita o una hoja. También es necesario lucir la pieza. Permanecen completamente quietos, ya que para los depredadores, lo que no se mueve no está vivo y, por lo tanto, no es una fuente de alimento, y se balancean, como arrastrados por el viento, al igual que sus plantas anfitrionas. De esta manera, el artista intenta revelar todo un mundo oculto a plena vista y con frecuencia con sorprendentes similitudes con nosotros.

Pero el interés del artista no es hacer una declaración sobre el tema. En su espectáculo, intenta ofrecer un espacio para que la gente mire y admire, preguntándose qué sucede allí. Ella solo quiere que la gente observe. Se supone que la aparición de estos animales pasa desapercibida. Por eso el diseño de la instalación se asemeja a vitrinas de museo suspendidas que, una vez más, ayudan al artista a detener el tiempo para que la gente también se detenga y vea algo ”.

Bossa, Paula. Maria Fernanda Cardoso: Jardín de Insectos. Bogotá: Galería Casas Riegner. Disponible en: http://www.casasriegner.com/exhibition/maria-fernanda-cardoso-jardin-de-insectos/

By Maria Fernanda Cardoso

I have been working with other life forms since 1990. Questioning the ethics of this practice is good, as it gives me the opportunity to share my thoughts and feelings about why I do what I do, and how I do it. Let me assure you that all the insects I have used in my artwork had been ethically sourced and handled, they have been bred by me and others and were not collected from the wild. During the filming and photographic shoots, there was also no harm in the handling of such insects, as I am an expert in insect wrangling. The photographic lights used were cold lights so there was no stress to the insects. I have decades of experience as insect wrangler.

Animal representations in art is one the oldest and most recurrent form (i.e. cave paintings). We have evolved alongside many other species, and they are represented in all other forms of artistic expression. Yet, in our modern era, we are more and more distanced from the direct experience of encountering and experiencing other species. My art wants to bring other species back into our perception, and that's why they are found surprising when seen in the context of artworks.

I am particularly drawn to insects, as I find them incredibly complex regardless of their small size. I think they deserve attention and appreciation. I want to share my fascination and the insights I gain by working with them. My work has also been informed by the tradition of natural history, where we exhibit animal collections to help advance our scientific knowledge of the natural sciences. I acknowledge the paradoxical aspect of this relationship to the natural world. My practice also aims to create a marriage of Art and Science. It shows scientific facts using artistic language, symbolism, and an art context to present them to a wider audience. All of that without having to go hunting and killing wildlife.

The stick insects in the series Insect Drawings and the stick insect videos, were filmed and photographed at the Australian Museum’s Discovery Centre, and at my home studio where I bred Goliath stick insects as pets. At the Australian Museum, the stick insects were bred and kept for visiting children to experience live insects and learn about camouflage. Their purpose was educational. The Australian museum supported my art project as it promotes the appreciation and understanding of these other forms of life, as insects are often neglected (they camouflage so well that we don't see them)! I bred stick insects because they fascinated me. By filming and photographing insects that look like plants as artwork, my purpose was biophilic. It also aims to challenge the dichotomies of the realm of plants from the realm of animals. By presenting insects as art, I hope they surprise and create awe and empathy towards other species, and also deepen our understanding of the complexities of the natural world. Our lives and wellbeing depend on our love and understanding of other forms of life. That's why life forms are a recurrent theme in my artwork.

The butterflies my artwork The Art of Disappearance is the ‘Kallima inachus inachus’, or Dead Leaf Butterfy. It was sourced from an insect breeder in the USA. They are sold internationally for entomology enthusiasts and institutions. They have been legally bred and sold. They are not collected from the wild. Its use was symbolic, as it is a species that may look dead, like a dead leaf, and disappear as it stops to rest on a branch, or it can be colourful and beautiful, like a butterfly. I related to that dichotomy of these two survival strategies: that of being visible to gain a mate, and that of being invisible to avoid being eaten. I was amazed at the perfection of their 'mimicry' of a dead leaf, and I asked myself what kind of intelligence these animals have so that they know how they look and how to behave in relation to their environment. And how can you be at once dead and live, animal and plant?