01/04/2026
STACKED BONDS is part of the exhibition À la Belle Vue de l’Abbatoir in Mons, on view until May 24, 2026.
In this series of three totems I explored the layered relationships between humans and animals through touch, memory, and identity. Inspired by the act of stacking, assembling and the stringing of beads into a necklace, where each element forms part of a larger whole, the totems invite viewers to walk around, caress and connect with the textures of different animal hides. Each totem tells a distinct story, highlighting how we define, use and remember animals.
Totem I – The Echo of Consumption
Constructed from the hide of a typical meat and milk cow, an animal often reduced to a mere number, this totem transforms anonymity into a tribute, honoring the individuality of a life shaped by consumption.
(Black totem)
Totem II – The Trophy
Covered in deer hide, this totem reflects on the tradition of the hunting trophy. Taken from a deer culled in European forests, it questions humanity’s control over nature and the uneasy balance between preservation and domination.
(Grey-brown totem)
Totem III – The Companion
This final totem carries the hide of Othello, a horse cherished by a Belgian family. When Othello passed away, his hide was tanned as a keepsake. Years later, when the family no longer wished to keep it, they entrusted it to me, allowing the memory of their companion to live on in a new form. Unlike the cow or the deer, the horse—often seen as a pet and a partner—embodies the intimate bond between human and animal.
(Cognac-brown totem)
Together, these totems form a layered dialogue of human-animal connection. Each fragment a story, each stack a reflection of how we value, categorize, and remember the lives that touch ours—bridging the spaces between object, symbol, and individual.
