Patrycja Orzechowska

The object was created by chance, as a result of unintentional action of man and forces of nature. It was made by bees—they covered the fabric of a shirt, which someone put into the hive in order to insulate its interior, with sticky wax. The intricate texture of the honeycomb reflects the order of nature. The artist was fascinated by the ambiguous status of this object. On the one hand, a piece of torn fabric, still reminiscent of clothing, and on the other hand, an artefact produced by insects. The dictionary definition of the word artefact comes from the term arte factum—that is, made by or using art. The word “artefact” is used only to describe objects or events resulting from the work of human hands. But what if the elaborate work was done by small hymenoptera specimens without even a central nervous system? By displaying the shirt at the exhibition, the artist makes a shift, recognises the work of non-humans, placing it on an equal footing with what is produced by people.

Insects have always impressed and inspired humankind because of the social order they maintain in their structures, as well as their designing and manufacturing skills. Who knows, maybe when humans die out and insects are reborn, they will be the only architects on the planet?