Rückkehr [Return]
2021
PE rigid foam, modelling plaster, Plastiform, gold leaf, acrylic paint

“Lying on the floor, the headless wolf titled Rückkehr (2021) is a near faithful replica of an image that circulated in the newspapers, depicting the corpse of the first wolf sighted in the German region of Westerwald for over 100 years. Wolves began to migrate back into the German wild at the turn of the century, and wolf migration is now widely reported to be ‘out of control’. The sculpture has a complexity since the dead creature seems to defy easy recognition. Headless, therefore toothless, lipless and eyeless, the body now stripped of the weapons of terror and flesh that define the myth of the wolf. The refinement of the image helps us to redefine the questions we ask ourselves. Without fear, we can ask: why is this here, and why did it die?” – J.F.

This work was produced with financial support from Carlow County Council’s Individual Arts Act Grant.