Series: Papilio On Resin
The project began in 2014 at Kew Gardens. The artist photographs the flowers, plants and leaves grown in the greenhouses through glass panes wet with dew and condensation that envelop the environment in a light, impalpable mist.
Nature enclosed in greenhouses is deprived of freedom but at the same time protected and helped to grow luxuriantly and is in contrast to nature outside that is 'free' but continually threatened by human exploitation. At the same time, nature constrained in the greenhouse itself becomes a symbol of the adaptation to which man forces the natural world to survive.
The unexpected presence of a butterfly enhances the harmony but also the drama of the work.
The photographs are enclosed in brass and iron circles of different sizes (diameter from 25 cm to 80 cm); butterflies are placed on the photographs before being coated with resin.
All our insect species are born and raised in captivity. Butterflies grow up and are collected according to international environment-friendly standards. Under no circumstances we deal with extinction risk species.
All works on display were created in 2023.
HOW DO BUTTERFLY FARMS WORK?
Butterflies come from breeding farms in many different tropical countries, such as Philippines, Costa Rica, Uganda, Kenya or Tanzania. Insects are farmed to be exported to tropical greenhouses and live exhibitions all around the world.
Butterflies trade represents a substantial source of income for local communities. Thanks to such activities, populations are less inclined to pursue intensive agricultural activities, which damage the environment, often leading to desertification.
Butterfly farming is eco-friendly, respectful of the forests, as natural habitat for the insects. Moreover, local populations are able to easily manage the initial breeding stages from within their own dwellings.
Butterflies live in outdoor pens, located on the house’s backyards, within wild nature, where farmers can grow specific plants to host the insect eggs; these plants will then represent the main source of food for the growing maggots. Thanks to butterfly farming, local communities are made aware of the botanical knowledge of their countries, understanding the importance of biological diversity preservation. Finally, these farms very often promote fund raising activities, stability, poverty reduction and preservation of the forest; an inspiring case is the Amani Butterfly Project in East Usambara mountains, Tanzania.