Of artists and vultures: a parallel with scavenger specimens about the presence of the animal's body and the balance of the art ecosystem

Abstract

Animals have been displaced from the natural environment, appropriated like things in general and, when exhibited in legitimized institutions, confirmed as art objects. Although we note the regularity of these beings in artistic works, the theme lacks recognition. Changes in the approach of Art History, however, favor the debate around the issue by drawing attention to practices little or almost never studied, such as the use of the animal's body. Even so, artists did not give up using specimens of the most unusual species in their work, including those that feed on decomposing matter, classified as scavengers. This article intends to establish a parallel between these specimens which, despite enjoying a bad reputation, occupy a fundamental position in the cycle of life and contemporary artists who play a strategic role in maintaining the balance of the art ecosystem by employing animals of all origins in their productions.