This exhibition delves the lesser-known aspects of taxidermy, reimagining the relationships between human, animal, and objects through an artistic experiment involving stuffed animals that underwent taxidermy-inspired processes. In Finland, taxidermied animals, commonly displayed in education instuitions and museums, have long been valued for their scientific observation, yet they also evoke complex emotional atmospheres, blending fascination with discomfort. Historically tied to Enlightenment curiosity and colonial exploration, taxidermy bridges science, sculptural artistry, inviting tactile engagement with the ‘flesh’ of the dead.
The taxidermied animals showcased in this exhibition are the result of confronting the often eerie and transformative nature of taxidermy by repuposing plush toy animals in place of real specimens. Through a playful process of disassembly and reassembly, this workshop sought to blur the boundaries between animate and inanimate, life and death. Inspired by Anna Tsing’s (2015) theory of multipsecies assemblages, the exhibition explores how taxidermy and stuffed animals evoke conflicting affects—both cute and macabre. The artists questioned the anthropocentric prespectives on animals by engaging in material transformations and examining the emerging atmospheric affects throughout the process.