Ayşe Erkmen
Lonesome George

The bronze sculpture Lonesome George is part of the artist’s oeuvre in a larger context of works that deal with animals as a subject. The prototype was created in 2020 for the Skulpturenpark Köln and was mounted on a tree trunk. Its namesake, “Lonely George”, was the last specimen of the Achatinella apexfulva, a Hawaiian tree snail. For fourteen years, it lived in a laboratory on Mānoa while scientists tried in vain to find a mating partner for the “loneliest snail in the world”. With its death in January 2019, its species finally became extinct. The bronze multiple is a naturalistic reproduction of the conical snail shell in a 1:1 ratio. A small screw emerges from the opening of the snail shell at the bottom instead of a body. The sculpture is presented like a piece of jewelry or a specimen in a natural history collection in a glass filled with sponge fabric. Using the thread, it can be attached to various surfaces, such as wood or wall plaster. The artist sees Lonesome George as a laconic memorial to a lost species. The edition as a multiple of seven copies also represents a paradox: This allowed the lone snail to reproduce posthumously, at least symbolically.
Text: Eva Scharrer