The American Museum of Natural History (AMNH), a major scientific and cultural institution, is celebrating the latest leg of the touring Microsculpture exhibition by artist Levon Biss. During its visit to Mexico City, it was featured in Insecta Festival del Bosque at Bosque de Chapultepec from 14 to 17 April 2022, where it drew 1.6 million guests over a single weekend.
The exhibition will remain on display across the first and second sections of the park until July. It features 37 large-scale printed pictures of macroscopic images of insects and is being displayed alongside 11 monumental insects, created by local artists and artisans.
The artist captured images of insects belonging to Oxford University’s Museum of Natural History. He created each image by bringing together at least eight thousand individual photos, a process which took four weeks.
The fascinating world of insects
Rocío Abud, director of Coppel Foundation and Social Responsibility, says: “This festival was organized with the support of Bosque de Chapultepec, Fideicomiso Pro Bosque de Chapultepec and Fundación Coppel.”
“When we heard about the exhibition, we decided we wanted to bring it to Mexico, so that people could learn more about the fascinating world of insects – their anatomy, structure, and spectacular colors – on large-format prints. It is a pleasure to be a part of this initiative that aims to pay tribute to the uniqueness, diversity, and complexity of these living creatures.”
Each image was taken with a 36-megapixel camera, using a 10x microscope accessory and a 200mm lens. The artist pinned each insect onto an adapted microscope slide, allowing close control of the camera lens. The subjects were then photographed in about thirty sections, each lighted differently with strobes, to emphasize the micro-sculpture of specific parts of their body. This process covers the entire surface of the insect until it’s been photographed in full.
The festival also exhibited 11 monumental insects measuring three meters high, as well as a webinar where the artist discussed his experience and his vision for the exhibition.
To date, Microsculpture has toured Europe, the Middle East and the United States. It is currently travelling South America, where it has already been successful in increasing footfall at a number of shopping malls in Colombia. Biss is an acclaimed artist whose work has appeared on the covers of TIME and GQ magazines, and on the front page of The New York Times.
All images © Fondación Coppel
