Speaking of pop art created through the use of taxidermy, an art form that borrows some or all of the techniques used to embalm animals, I can say that I feel infinite admiration and curiosity towards this world, so much so that I myself am somehow part of it. It wasn’t a foregone conclusion that I would be. A purist taxidermist would be strongly opposed: “taxidermy must be purely naturalistic.” I, on the other hand, enjoy finding combinations and creating objects with small animal parts, even if they are parts of animals that were taxidermied many years ago. For a creation to qualify as Rogue Taxidermy, the main component must be some kind of material related to taxidermy, but it can be used in combination with other elements that are not related to taxidermy. Artists who create Rogue Taxidermy make beautiful decorative objects using all kinds of materials: glass, metal, paper, ceramics, stone, found objects, etc. They then combine these materials with elements borrowed from the world of taxidermy or specially created using the skills of a taxidermist, with which they can ‘bring to life’ a wide range of works, beautiful objects, sometimes mysterious, dark or luminous, which can be classified as products of ‘rogue taxidermy’.
The final result does not have to be a figurative three-dimensional representation of an animal’s body; it can be abstract and can be represented in part or in whole. The genre includes everything from small decorative objects like bell jars with butterfly compositions inside, to life-sized installations, from conceptual art to wearable art like jewelry made with bones, etc. There are no limits, and the creations can be truly diverse. The animal-derived material must strictly be the result of various events: a find on the road following a vehicle impact, a natural death, a pet donated to the taxidermist after its passing, an animal legally culled as a pest, livestock destined for slaughter, or game remains. In short, the important thing is that to create decorative artistic taxidermy, animals are not killed; only already-dead bodies or parts of them are used.
Therefore, this form of taxidermy is no longer the embalming relegated to the world of hunting and its related trophies, nor is it the one tied to natural history museums. This is about approaching a new world, a reality destined to amaze, surprise, gratify, and provoke thought. What was once seen as crude is now at its zenith, and taxidermy can be found in the trendiest restaurants of Manhattan, Paris, London, and Milan. It appears in the most exclusive boutiques of many elegant city centers, it shows up in films, and it has re-entered everyday life. In summary: taxidermy is modern. Its ubiquity is undeniable, even if it manifests as decorative objects that populate the imagination of almost everyone.
Consequently, this type of taxidermy has become acceptable and, in recent years, has been legitimized even by the most stringent advocates for the ethical treatment of animals (not by everyone, of course, but we are on the right path). This is precisely because the public has understood that this art form observes rules, that the animal was not killed for this purpose, and that the final product is respectful.