Firebugs as processes – growth, 130x60cm, Installation with linocuts, 2024

This project explores the representation of firebugs through artistic investigation, working in parallel with biological insight. Drawing from contemporary philosophy and biology, it challenges traditional depictions of insects as static, isolated entities and instead emphasizes their processual, dynamic and interconnected nature. The central concept is the holobiont, an organism composed of multiple species, existing as a single integrated system. This idea reframes firebugs not as fixed beings but as relational entities shaped by symbiotic interactions. Drawing is a tool for both observation and representation. It requires prolonged engagement, fostering an embodied understanding of firebugs. This process demands attentiveness, decision-making and adaptation, as the insect’s movement influences the drawing hand. So, through drawing, firebugs can be portrayed not as fixed specimens but as dynamic beings, constantly interacting with their environment.
This series focuses on the developmental stages of a firebug. Firebugs hatch from eggs and molt five times before reaching adulthood. During these transformations, their size, colour and patterns change significantly. A single firebug thus integrates multiple forms over time.