Julius von Bismarck Beetle on A Horse, 2024

The work was conceived on occasion of The Parliament of Marmots, the 9th Biennale Gherdëina in 2025. Julius von Bismarck designed a new equestrian statue, installed in a central square of the Italian town Ortisei. Instead of a victorious warrior—historically a theme of such monuments—an overdimensionally enlarged bark beetle rides on the horse. The insect is a reference to a small local beetle that, due to global warming and human (in)action, has infested the forests of the Dolomite Alps in recent years, leading to the disappearance of entire woodland areas. Portraying the insect in the guise associated with depictions of a conqueror, the artist wants to shift the conversation and suggest that humanity itself may be one of the greatest plagues to their own environment.