Enrique Gomez De Molina is an artist from Miami who creates
bizarre sculptures with the stuffed parts of dead animals. While
taxidermy itself isn’t something new, what De Molina does is he mixes up
parts from different animals to create a new one, a new species all
together. The result is what some might call art, and others may find
plain disturbing.
For instance, one of the strangest beings created by De Molina
is a combination of a squirrel and a crab. The head of a squirrel and
the body of the crab. Another one has the heads of two swans placed on
the body of a goat.
Another one has the heads of two swans placed on the body of a
goat.
Another one has the heads of two swans placed on the body of a
goat. The art is all fine, but the artist himself is facing the
possibility of landing in jail for no less than 5 years. He may also
have to pay $250,000 in fines. The reason – he illegally imported the body parts of endangered species, a crime that he has pleaded guilty to. He was arrested in November, 2011.
According to the
police, De Molina did not obtain the permit required to import animal
parts, skins and other remains. He apparently was aware that his actions
were illegal. However, he went ahead and smuggled in the remains of
animals from all over the world.
While these sculptures might look disturbing and even seem
like cruelty against animals, De Molina says that his aim is to raise
awareness regarding the dangers faced by a range of species. He wanted
to depict the dangers of genetic engineering
and human intervention. Meanwhile, he offers his pieces for sale on the
Internet and through exhibitions. The prices go up to $80,000. His work
was recently displayed at the Scope Art Fair in Miami. Two pieces were
sold for a total of $100,000.
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