How far must we go for art? Judging by the work of taxidermist/artist Enrique Gomez de Molina, holy crap very far. For using a hodgepodge of endangered animals for his work, homeboy is facing five years in jail. Beat that, Picasso!
De Molina has been making these loveable abominations for years. He claims that his art is a statement on the dangers of genetic engineering and human intervention. Thing is, he illegally imported a host of endangered animal carcasses to make his work. Sounds a lot like human intervention to me. Is the irony part of art? So many layers! Genius!
From a Thrillist interview with De Molina:
“…I just like to play around, mix and match different animals and create my own species. I guess I like to play God.”
I never would have guessed.
De Molina has been charged with possession of carcasses of the Java kingfisher, collared kingfisher, bird of paradise, juvenile hawk-eagle, slow loris and a mouse deer. They all came from Indonesia and it’s a safe bet that they didn’t all die of natural causes. De Molina pleaded guilty upon his arrest and is scheduled to face trial in March. This is probably going to make his freaky creations skyrocket in value, so if you’ve ever dreamed of having your very own squirrel-crab, there’s never been a better time to buy. [Daily Mail via Geekologie]
All images Copyright Enrique Gomez de Molina.