“The Turd World War”
“When I look up while shitting on the ground, I see shit falling from above. All of us critters are up to our necks in deep shit. The real upper dogs of this world are shitting on us weaker companion species, cementing our doomed faith with shitloads of caca.” – Jessica Gysel in ‘La Merde’ Aline Bouvy.
Last month I visited the 2026 Venice Biennale. Known as the Olympic of arts, the Biennale encompasses the largest spectrum of art in the world. It is my favourite event and something I look forward to every other year. I am attracted to it because of scale of the production, alongside the rich saturation of work, from paintings and sculpture to performance and immersive exhibition.
I approached the trip as a chance to switch off from my animation project. As an artist, I think this is a vital part of the creative process. Doing this forces you to step into other trains of thought, breaking free from the all encompassing tunnel vision that is animation. Stepping outside of the animation bubble itself is also vital as an artist, because animation is not just a technique but an amalgamation of inspiration from the world and our daily lives, so I believe that being away from it subconsciously helps ones creative practice.
Aline Buoy’s Luxembourg pavilion titles ‘La Merde’ particularly stood out to me for a few reasons. Her pavilion included a 15/20 minute film, a sculpture and a book. Her work forced the viewer to decide whether they wanted to sit down and watch a film about a giant turd or move on. The film was a mixture of live action, CGI and 2D animation. This is what made me sit and stay.
In returning to my project, I read ‘La Merde’ not as something to help inspire my project, but feel confident in commenting on taboo topics and continuing to be brave with my storytelling.
This trip helped me return to my work station with a new found invigoration. I also felt connected and more driven to speak as authentically as possible on subjects that matter to me. In conclusion… art helps art.