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Insects are often seen as a nuisance. We brush them away, attack them with sprays, or crush them without a second thought. Yet it is precisely these insects that sustain life on Earth: they pollinate, decompose, and help maintain ecological balance. In(ter)sect (2025), an installation by Jikke Lesterhuis (1997), explores the paradoxical attitude that underlies our relationship with insects. In a series of ceramic puppets, she gives insects an almost human semblance. They are suspended together in a web of invisible threads: when one moves, another trembles, as if the puppets together form a fragile ecosystem. By humanizing the insects, the work invites the viewer to look closely at what is commonly ignored. The artist encourages reflection on beauty and repulsion, aiming to transform unease into admiration.
Lesterhuis’ work is situated at the intersection of theatre, film and visual art. Through her puppets, she seeks interaction with the viewer, offering a playful means of raising awareness of the relationship between humans and nature. She draws inspiration from Donna Haraway’s concept of ‘sympoiesis’, which emphasizes the ongoing interdependence of living and non-living systems. Prior to In(ter)sect, Lesterhuis wrote a modern folk tale of the same name, imagining a world in which every human is connected to nature through countless invisible threads. Each time an insect is killed, a thread comes loose, until eventually we are left alone.
Written by Esther Darley