- Plan your visit
- See and do
- Collection
- About us
Go back
Silvia B.
Le Petit Monde, 2008
Silvia B. (1963) blurs the boundary between humans and animals in her work. She uses an unusual blend of poses and materials – including animal skin and (human) hair – to question social norms. While her works terrify some, other viewers think they are positively ‘strokeable’ (but don’t touch!). Thi
...
s contrast appeals to Silvia B.
Le petit monde consists of three child figures, covered completely with black astrakhan, the curly fleece of young karakul lambs. The two girls force a blindfolded boy to his knees. In this sculpture, children – usually associated with innocence – denote distressing subjects such as oppression due to skin colour. By showing the bestial side of humankind, Silvia B. asks herself what gives people the right to oppress other beings, humans and animals. And: can we even make a distinction between human and animal?
The artist retrieves the astrakhan from second-hand coats. The production and sale of new coats using the fleece has now – as with fur coats – been outlawed. To produce astrakhan, the dams were mistreated so that the lambs were born prematurely. The lambs were then skinned alive, which made the wool even softer. Silvia B. scours flea markets for these coats and other animal products to use in her artworks.
Text: Evelien Verheij, collection coordinator
Artist
Silvia B.
Title
Le Petit Monde
Year
2008
Technique
Mixed media
Size
x cm (h x w)
Type of object
Sculpture
Copyright
© Silvia B.
This work is protected by copyright. You need permission from the creator or his heir to download, edit, copy or publish it.
