An ongoing project presenting taxidermied birds, which had died from hitting into the window of artist's studio, cast in iron.

This is a collection (and a series at the same time) of almost identical works (repetition); it's an ongoing project and consequently an always expanding collection: why is it important to keep this project, how the quantity of dead birds affect the viewer's response, how the quantity of the birds should correspond with the size of the exhibition space - would it be better to fill the large room with 50 birds, or to place there 5; would it be better to place one bird in a small room so the viewer would concentrate on it, or fill the room with those caskets? The fact, that it is composed around the theme of death triggers question about the representation of death: why is it okay to show dead animals and not okay to show dead people (except probably mummies), why is death so romanticized (and here it's a death of the birds, so two romantical subjects came together)?

This work arises ethical/philosophical question of presentation of death in arts, because it shows undisguised and almost undecorated death. If the artist presented this phenomenon of dying birds in a different form (a series of drawings, paintings, sculptures, graves, etc.) the viewer would have a longer distance to those dead birds, surrounded by dark iron "boxes", which are the very thorough and impressive choices of the form, because on the contrast with very light, fluffy, subtle, gentle and almost alive birds, they serve as metaphors of death in general and coffins in particular. So, the work triggers questions of suitable and not suitable themes for art, suitable and not suitable subjects of representation, how the social taboo can work in art (thought death is probably less tabooed in US), etc. But it also corresponds with the antropocene affects different species, and how in particular lighting of the houses/ reflections of glass windows attracts/ disorientates birds and lead to their death.

#sculpture #death #animals #ethics