È piuttosto impressionante il lavoro che svolge Sarina Brewer, artista statunitense che compone le sue “opere” mettendo insieme scienze naturali, biologia e tassidermia. Usa i corpi degli animali e li ricombina, a volte aggiunge metalli o altri materiali estranei alla chimica del carbonio, altre li tratta con procedimenti che ricordano la pietrificazione dei corpi. Ma – avverte – nessun animale è stato “sacrificato” all’uopo: per lo più si tratta di materiale derivante da vecchi musei in fase di sgombero oppure corpi meno stagionati di esemplari morti per incidente o cause naturali.

Però perché dedicarsi a una forma artistica tanto macabra che non si limita all’imbalsamazione, ma ricompone parti differenti dando vita a nuove sembianze (tanto che le sue gallerie sono riunite sotto l’espressione Custom Creature Taxidermy)? Si scrive sul suo sito:

This artist has a deep respect and appreciation for animals and the natural world. She is fascinated with the circle of life and intrigued with how different cultures honor their dead and deal with death. Immortalizing loved ones (be they animals or humans) by preserving their remains or creating sentimental remembrances out of their body parts does not sit well with the majority of western society and is unfathomable to the average thinker. Yet such practices have been the norm in many cultures throughout history and still are. Undoubtedly the average American thinks such abhorrent practices are only carried out by “savages” in primitive cultures, yet they even exist in this day and age in the “civilized” world, a well known example being the preserved remains of saints on display in Catholic Churches around the world. Point being, reverence is relative. This artist deals with death, in what is considered by most, an unconventional manner. She does not view a dead animal as disgusting or offensive. She feels that all creatures exhibit beauty in death, as well as in life, and pays homage to them by reincarnating them in her works of art.