Bees are representatives of nature who support our survival. They live in hives and produce super quality natural honey and beeswax. We have seen the places where bees live as hexagon patterned platter. However, have you seen a different type of beehive such as skull shaped?
This wonderful skull is not just a real one and this is man made creation for Bees to live. The creator, Tomáš Libertíny has been working with bees to produce collaborative sculptures for nearly two decades. He has introduced a set of three sculptures to play on the classic concept of memento mori including the series of Memento Vivere / Feed Your Head. Libertíny’s style was inspired by some old arts such as the New Testament story of Salome requesting the head of St. John the Baptist on a platter and Caravaggio’s classical arts based on metal and wood serving plates and pallets.
“The whole tray appears more as a trophy as well as an icon. The honeycomb head is growing out of the dish as if wanting to become alive again,” the Rotterdam-based artist says. “If the head was left longer inside the beehive, it would have become completely human as the bees would continue adding more substance to the face. The trajectory is reversed. The skull becomes covered in flesh with the help of nature. It is ‘the good news’ and symbolic resurrection and hope.”
How does it work? First of all, Libertíny creates a skull-shaped framework and inserts it into the beehive. Then the bees start to cover the frame and create the skull. The creator, Libertíny, makes needed adjustments through his closer supervision in this process. Here, Libertíny adds red pigments when he creates the skull to bring a new spiritual dimension to the work. However, bees are unable to see the color red.
This is a wonderful task of Libertíny with the collaboration of Bees, and it should be appreciated. We couldn’t ignore other representatives of nature. We should work with them peacefully.
“Natural beeswax is vulnerable yet one of the most durable natural materials. It can last for thousands of years. Sometimes, people who look weak on the outside are the most resilient souls walking among us.”
