Sapir’s manipulation of the objects on display amounts to the breaking down of any clear-cut classificatory categories such as animal and mineral, natural and artificial, old and new: avocado pits are treated with wax and latex, stones are coated in cement and salt, and fossils are stained with a layer of putrefying material. These objects all appear somehow very familiar, yet nothing is what it initially appears to be.

The deceptive dimension of this work is alluded to by the words “crypto-taxidermy” – that is, the process of creating imaginary creatures by incorporating (real or fake) parts of different stuffed animals into a single whole. Such hybrids were often exhibited in early modern cabinets of curiosities. The word “crypto,” which alludes to something secret or occult charged with hidden, ambiguous, or mysterious meanings, further underscores the enigmatic spirit of this work.

This work was produced in collaboration with the Haifa Museum of Art as part of the exhibition “Shelf Life.”
Courtesy of Chelouche Gallery.

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