Bees are amazing for a number of reasons: they are key in pollination, they make honey, they greatly benefit biodiversity, and some even say that whole economies depend on them.
Well, bees just got that much more awesome, as they can now also be called artists after becoming a part of Tomáš Libertíny’s latest creation—a bust of Nefertiti that was created by a whole lot of worker bees just doing their thing—creating a honeycomb.
Bees are pretty good at sculpting honeycombs, but ever wondered how’d they fare with actual busts?
Image credits: Tomáš Libertíny / Studio Libertiny
Meet Tomáš Libertíny of Studio Libertiny, a Slovakian artist currently living and working in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, who creates art to explore the beauty and intelligence of nature, probing into the existential questions of the human mind, studying the relationship between man and nature.
For the past 2 years, Libertíny has been working on one of his latest projects—a bust of Queen Nefertiti of Egypt that he called Eternity. Except, instead of going the traditional route of using more conventional materials for sculpting, like clay or metal, he chose beeswax.
Artist Tomáš Libertíny worked together with bees to create a Nefertiti bust called Eternity
Image credits: Tomáš Libertíny / Studio Libertiny
Image credits: Tomáš Libertíny / Studio Libertiny
Well, more specifically, it wasn’t beeswax as in processed wax and that’s not all, no, he got a bunch of bees—about 60,000 of them, to be precise—to help him. Yep, what you see here is an all-natural creation made by bees, with a little structural guidance by Tomáš.
So, what happened is he designed and built a 3D frame of a Nefertiti bust, which looks cool as it is, but then he employed some bees to start building a honeycomb around it. The framework was specifically designed in a way to provide structural integrity and streamline the bees’ honeycomb design.
He created a 3D model that he later got over 60,000 bees to create a honeycomb around
Image credits: Tomáš Libertíny / Studio Libertiny
The gallery it’s displayed at now is selling this piece of art for €38,000 or $46,200
Image credits: Tomáš Libertíny / Studio Libertiny
The creation was in progress before it was first shown in Kunsthal Rotterdam in the summer of 2019. It was set up as a live installation where visitors could see it being built by bees in real time. It wasn’t until the end of 2020 that the bust was finished and showcased in the Rademakers Gallery in Amsterdam.
As reported by designboom, Libertíny said that “it is a testament to the strength and timelessness of ‘mother nature’ as well as its ancient character as a powerful female reigning against the odds.” And get it? It’s a bust of a queen and bees built it for their hive and queen. Clever!
The whole creation process took two years from start to finish
Image credits: Tomáš Libertíny / Studio Libertiny
“It is a testament to the strength and timelessness of ‘mother nature’ as well as its ancient character as a powerful female reigning against the odds.”
Image credits: Tomáš Libertíny / Studio Libertiny
Now, this is just one of many of Libertíny’s beeswax creations as there’s an entire Made By Bees series. Before this, he also built Unbearable Lightness, a full statue of a human, The Honeycomb Amphora, which is exactly what it sounds like, and a number of other honeycomb-inspired works.
The Nefertiti bust will still be on display in the Rademakers Gallery, and seeing as lockdown restrictions may apply, your best bet will be checking out Tomáš’s artwork in their virtual tour around the gallery. Oh, and fun fact, the Rademakers Gallery is also selling it for €38,000 or $46,200, if you want this bit of art in your collection. Don’t worry, bee’s wax is said to be a resilient material—just make sure nobody noms on it!
Alternatively, you can check out more from Libertíny on his website, Facebook, and Instagram.
Check out a video of the creation of the bust in action
View this post on Instagram
The Nefertiti bust isn’t his first “Made By Bees” creation as there were many other projects
Image credits: Tomáš Libertíny / Studio Libertiny
Image credits: Tomáš Libertíny / Studio Libertiny
Image credits: Tomáš Libertíny / Studio Libertiny
Image credits: Tomáš Libertíny / Studio Libertiny
Image credits: Tomáš Libertíny / Studio Libertiny
Image credits: Tomáš Libertíny / Studio Libertiny
Image credits: Tomáš Libertíny / Studio Libertiny
Image credits: Tomáš Libertíny / Studio Libertiny
What are your thoughts on this? Let us know in the comment section below!
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