There’s a woman who lives on an island somewhere in the Bahamas who makes videos about rescuing hermit crabs that wander into her garden. They don’t really need rescuing exactly, but they have always found themselves making their home inside some kind of ocean trash – like a bendy pipe or an old glass bottle. She places the hermit crab inside a large container and then selects some shells for the little crabs to choose a new home from, which they always do. Then, she releases them back onto the beach and they go on their merry way in their new shell digs. Everything about this content pleases me and I end up thinking about hermit crabs far too often as a result.
With crustaceans still on the brain, I came across the work of Belgian artist Charles Degeyter whose surrealist sculptures include a series about Hermit Crabs – and his recent collection particularly relate to his own childhood memories. Some of these crabs live inside the heads of dead toads, the side profile of a happy dog, a mask called “Brother“. The hermit crabs themselves are taxidermied specimens, another theme that he explores in his work.
Working with traditional and contemporary production methods ranging from engravings, and taxidermy to 3D printing and lasercutting, Degeyter’s work delves into contrasting subjects such as anthropology and popular culture. His work often blurs the boundaries between these two constructs, emphasizing the enduring social relevance of anthropological artefacts and rituals in the present day. With diverse references, ranging from Egyptian sarcophagi and fossil plaques to squeaky toys, his work challenges traditional canonical models of art history.
I love the idea of a hermit crab making itself at home inside one of your childhood memories – and I’m pretty sure that those crabs in the Bahamas would jump at the chance to inhabit one. See all Charles Degeyter’s work at his website and his Belgian rep Tatjana Pieters.
