Alive or dead is typically a black and white issue. But taxidermy wraps the issue in a thick and fascinating ironic mist. Here are the things about taxidermy that make me uneasy. 1) To immortalize through taxidermy, the subject must be dead. 2) The highest praise, of course, for successful taxidermy is “It’s SO lifelike!” The ironic weight of such an exclamation probably rushes right over the head of the typical exclaimer but the fact that it is “so very lifelike” simply underscores the dreadful truth that the thing is actually very dead and moreover, was likely executed precisely so it could “live” forever on the wall or behind glass. So, I’ve made a series of photographs that encourage the thoughtful viewer to consider the relationship between the quick and the dead and the immortal occasioned by the practice of taxidermy.
