Kudu-geweih aus fingernägeln. 2€-Stück dient als referenzgröße
2026
Wall installation
Dimensions: L 14 x W 3 x H 15 cm
Materials: human fingernails, stained wood, sterling silver, €2 coin, UV adhesive
The work presents a set of antlers modeled after the spiraled horn of the kudu antelope, constructed from collected, cut human fingernails. It is complemented by a 2-euro coin framed in a bezel.
Fingernails and kudu antlers are both composed of keratin, yet are subject to opposing value attributions: the antler is regarded in certain circles as a desirable hunting trophy, while fingernails are considered repulsive waste. From the perspective of poachers, this logic is inverted: the (white, male) human is positioned above all else, while the life of the antelope is subordinated to the trophy. Paradoxically, some former big-game hunters founded national parks to protect wildlife – less out of moral conviction than because safari tourism became more profitable than hunting. The living space of local populations remains unconsidered in this process.
The coin not only refers to the practice of using coins as scale references for objects, but also to economic interests. Through its framing, however, it simultaneously evokes commemorative plaques as wall-mounted decoration. Together with the trophy shield, it recalls associations with traditional, old-fashioned, male-dominated interiors.
