Human Factor

Born 1962. Lives and works in Paris, France
Liegender Frauenakt (Untilled 2011–2012) 2012
Concrete cast on steel armature, heating system, beehive, wax, bees
Sammlung Pulheim, Cologne, Esther Schipper, Berlin
© the artist. Courtesy the artist

Metamorphosis and auto-generating systems are central to Pierre Huyghe’s practice; he looks at how things change, are transformed, or metabolise. With Liegender Frauenakt (Untilled 2011–2012) (2012), the reclining female nude that forms the basis of the work is an existing sculpture that has undergone a transformation. The original bronze sculpture, a classical work by the 20th-century Swiss sculptor Max Weber, has been cast in concrete and a swarming beehive installed on its head. Pierre Huyghe disfigures the statue, creating a living mask, and producing a hybrid between a man-made form and a living organism, a fixed object and an evolving structure.

Bee Urban, Supported this installation, de-installation and maintaining the colony of Bees that were place on the piece. We ensured that the health and well being was kept, they had enough food and that they were bring in and that they didn’t swarm.