Love manifests itself in many ways. One of them, perhaps the strangest of all, is when, even after death, you still feel extreme devotion to your loved one. It is natural that, when a loved one dies, you remember that person with affection; we forget the bad times and we try to hold on to the best memories fresh. However, when someone keeps a part of their remains, or the whole corpse, and carries it all the time, it becomes really creepy.
That was what happened when, in 1991, Per Yngve Ohlin, the singer of the band Mayhem, committed suicide by shooting himself in the head. When the body was found, his friend took pieces of the skull and gave one to each member of the band, so they could take his friend wherever they went, according to the frontman’s wishes. To date, Ohlin’s bandmates confirm that they still keep their skull pieces.
For a long time, they were the ultimate example of this extreme practice, until a woman appeared on the scene who did exactly the same as the band, the difference being that she calls it art. Her name is Katinka Simonse, and her way of making art is controversial, to say the least. She (sometimes) kills animals, dissects them, and turns them into toys and fashion accessories. Her artistic name is Tinkebell, and at 32, the Dutch artist is squarely in the center of controversy with her work.
It all started in 2004, when her cat, her only friend and companion, became seriously ill. Seeing her vulnerable and hurt, she could not think of anything else but to give her peace. The only way to do it was to end her life. She made the decision to end the animal’s suffering and and broke its neck. She proceeded to skin the small corpse and turned it into a bag that she takes with her everywhere.
Later, her first solo show again stirred controversy and prompted many lawsuits: as part of the show she threatened to crush 66 baby chicks if people did not buy them at auction.
She received tons of hate mail, threatening messages, and petitions signed by people around the world asking for her to be fined or punished, or prohibit her from doing that kind of “art.” However, she always wins by showing that the animals she dissects are dead when she “adopts” them. That is, she picks up the bodies at a kind of animal morgue to turn them into toys, purses, or handbags. She is also very vocal in her website when describing her art:
“Tinkebell provokes by exemplifying the blind spots of modern society. She confronts a public that revels in being indignant about everything that has nothing to do with them, but at the same time is very apologetic about their own actions. She questions why millions of male chicks are brutally killed every day, but she gets arrested for threatening to do the same in public?”
She makes taxidermy a work of art, by making the corpse in such a way that it highlights the hypocrisy in animal activism. For her, the animal defenders show a double standard because, although they condemn bullfighting, they eat beef. Those who say that that puppies are beautiful and should be adopted do not think about other animals or plants that are “less” beautiful.
And even when they claim to be pro-life, they are the ones who troll her with extreme cruelty, sending her threatening and offensive messages.
To defend herself, the artist figured out the identity of the attackers on social media. Then, she found each and every one of the attackers who turned out to be, in their majority, teen girls who, hiding behind the anonymity of the internet, follow fashions and lash out against anyone they wish. Later on, a book titled My Dearest Tinkebell was published. It compiles the comments and threats she has received, and also contains an analysis by specialists who explain these messages.
The central point of Tinkebell’s work is to question the usefulness and functionality of animals, since animals are living beings, not objects. But she puts that into question. For the defenders of animals, the most beautiful are those that are worthwhile, so she says in terms of her art form: “They die, I turn them into a work of art that looks beautiful. What difference does it make if it is stiff? It looks aesthetically cute. It’s the same thing they do, they defend beauty, or not?”
Although her work is criticized by thousands and supported by very few, she works for the Save the World Foundation, an institution dedicated to caring for vulnerable, mainly human lives, since for them, human and animal lives are of equal importance. The question is left for the viewer to answer: Is what Tinkebell does morally valid, is it cruelty, or are the animal corpses she uses just another material? However, the real question for viewers, critics and for herself is: is dissecting animals and turning them into toys and accessories truly art, or is it cruelty?
Correction: A previous version of this article stated that Tinkebell shot her cat, this version has been corrected to better represent the facts.
Do you have an art project that you want to see featured in our website? Do you want to write about controversial works of art? Send a 500-article to storyteller@culturacolectiva.com
For more articles about art, click here:
Things I Learned After All My Art Disappeared From The Internet
17 Illustrations From The Strangest Japanese Monster Compilation
These Incredible Shadow Sculptures Will Change The Way You Look At Trash
