The devastating loss of millions of migratory monarch butterflies and the irreversible damage to New York City’s trees by the Asian Longhorn beetle signal a threat to the world’s ecological balance. Though small in stature and often dismissed with the brush of a hand, insects serve as a barometer for the well-being of our ecosystem. This exhibition hints at the range of reactions to the diversity and sheer number of species in the class Insecta.

A fascination with insects is integral to the artworks in Insecta Magnifica. While some artists study insects from a more scientific perspective, others explore the cultural perceptions and assumptions about these complex creatures. Each of the works celebrates the beauty and mystery of bugs. A sense of obsession that mirrors the activity of the insect itself is inherent in the effort to document and categorize, or in the process of making the artwork. Many of these works are part of larger projects to observe and understand the natural world and our relationship to it.

Thank you to the artists for creating and lending their work and to Lance Fung Gallery, Littlejohn Contemporary, McKee Gallery, Frederieke Taylor Gallery, all of New York, New York and the Institute for Electronic Arts at Alfred University, Alfred, NY.

Principal funding for the Visual Arts at Wave Hill is provided by the Stephen and Cathy Weinroth Charitable Trust. Additional support is provided by the Hess and Helyn Kline Foundation.