taxidermy

Posts tagged
with taxidermy

Craft

Florals, Beads, and Lace Embellish Whimsical Faux Taxidermy and Anatomical Sculptures

Based in Austria, Natalia Lubieniecka scours Vienna’s markets for antique objects, fabrics, and anatomical posters that eventually inform and meld into her peculiar sculptures. Whether it be a blush-colored heart enveloped in florals, a supine frog with exposed entrails, or a deceased bird covered in a lace bodice, her fantastical works speak to the fragile relationship between life and death.

The sculptor tells Colossal that her interest in organs and bodies began after a visit to Naturhistorische Museum Wien, where she encountered taxidermy of birds, insects, and other animals. Her favorite piece, though, is her faux anatomical heart because it pushed her to expand her source material. “I think that human and animal anatomy has something magical about it. Each organ is responsible not only for the functioning of the body, but also for feelings, thoughts, and emotions, and these transport us to another magical dimension,” she said.

Lubieniecka often posts her available pieces on Instagram, but be sure to check out her Etsy shop, too.

Art

Taxidermy Renderings of Dr. Seuss’ Fantastical Beings

Smiling goofily from their wooden mounts sit the imaginings of Dr. Seuss, animals with bizarre names like the Turtle-Necked Sea-Turtle, Two Horned Douberhannis, and Semi-Normal Green-Lidded Fawn. The beasts were not designed by fanatics of Dr. Seuss’ famous children’s books, but are based on works created by the man himself over 80 years ago, each originating from an obscure collection of paintings, drawings, and sculpture known as The Secret Art of Dr. Seuss Collection.

These particular sculptures are resin casts adapted from Theodor Seuss Geisel’s (aka Dr. Seuss) Collection of Unorthodox Taxidermy. The original works utilized actual remains of lions, rabbits, and deer that died at the Springfield Zoo where his father was a director. Geisel used these ears, antlers, and shells to form realistic copies of his 2D fictional characters and asked his wife Audrey Geisel to wait until after this death to reveal his works to the public. Audrey stayed true to his wish and waited until 1997, six years after his death, to begin commissioning the sculptures.

The 3D doppelgängers, part of a traveling exhibition titled If I Ran the Zoo, each bear a posthumously printed or engraved signature by the late artist, commissioned specifically by the Dr. Seuss Estate. The exhibition of 17 sculptures in their entirety along with rare paintings and drawings will be on view at LaMantia Gallery in Northport, New York from November 12-27, 2016. The exhibition is timed with the release of the Powerless Puffer, the final cast resin sculpture in the series. (via The Creators Project)

Art Craft

Upholstered Faux Taxidermy Heads and Animals by Kelly Rene Jelinek

Artist Kelly Rene Jelinek fabricates life-sized replicas of taxidermied animal heads using fragments of upholstery fabric. The decorative objects conjure nostalgia from Jelinek’s youth spent in rural Wisconsin where she frequently encountered taxidermy deer and game mounts as part of everyday household decor. The artist begins with the same foam mounts utilized by actual taxidermists to which she applies shreds of fabric, yarn, resin (or found) antlers, and glass marble eyes. The results are surprisingly modern sculptural objects that mimic traditional anatomical mounts. Jelinek sells many of her original works on Etsy and you can also follow her on Instagram. (via The Awesomer, Hi-Fructose)

Design

Elkebana: Symmetrical Flower Wall Trophies Inspired by Japanese ‘Ikebana’ Flower Arrangements

If you enjoy the aesthetic appeal of animal antlers but hate the idea of taxidermy, Elkebana might be just the thing for your cabin walls. The wall-mounted system relies on symmetrical sets of flowers or tree branches and gets its name from ikebana, the Japanese art of flower arrangement. You can see more over on their website. (via Colossal Submissions)

Art Design

Hunting Trophies: Repurposed Vintage Bike Parts Converted into Functional Taxidermy Racks

Vienna-based designer Andreas Scheiger created this fun series of faux taxidermy heads using a bunch of found bicycle seats and handlebars. The pieces can serve as fun art objects, or as functional hooks for holding bags, coats, and even other bicycles. Several of them are for sale over on his website, or you can see how he did it and maybe attempt your own. (via Fubiz)

Update: Several of you have mentioned that these are pieces appear to be a modern interpretation of Picasso’s Tête de taureau.

Art

Urban Herd: Air Rifle BB Taxidermy by Courtney Timmermans

Using thousands of air rifle BBS artist Courtney Timmermans creates impressive taxidermy heads of wild animals. The body of work titled Urban Herd will be on view here in Chicago starting tomorrow at Jean Albano Gallery and will run through August 24th.