Series of 100 bronze minimonuments parasitizing on the collection of University of Tartu Natural History Museum

in collaboration with Elina Vitola

Parasitism exists in art as much as in nature. Before being cast in bronze, these ticks were harvested from a family dog who unknowingly collected them on his daily walks. Here, they parasitize large mammals’ skeletons, attracting attention to these skeletons as much as to themselves and shifting our perspective on both. While ticks in nature feed on blood and would be uninterested in bones, these bronze ticks highlight the ambiguity of parasites. Parasites are considered harmful to their host but they are also dependent on that host; their power is thus subjected to the existence of other beings. By electing bare bones as a worthy sustenance, these bronze ticks highlight their relationship to mammals as much as our relationship to the skeletons.

Text by Sara Bédard-Goulet