Walter Oltmann Carapax (Borer), 2023 Anodized aluminium wire and spray paint Variable Dimensions - approx,: 205 x 400 x 50 cm
[large black suit of armour]; in full human scale, to hang on wall
This is the third in an ongoing series of ‘Carapax’ suits woven in aluminium wire. ‘Carapax’ refers to a carapace or protective exoskeleton. Oltmann's first two carapax suits (‘Carapax (Zygen)' (2022) and ‘Carapax (Darkling)’ (2022) were made to hang on a wall like discarded human-insect husks. In this third version the artist has made the suit to be wearable by fitting it to his own body measurements. The dark body of a borer beetle is interpreted as a suit of armour, the head and antennae fitting tightly over the artist's head like a cap while the torso, claws and legs have to be ‘climbed’ into with the help of assistants. The inhabitable exoskeleton provides a playful context for inserting oneself into an insectoid carapace; it allows for an embodied experience of being ‘transformed’ into the other.
