Tessa Farmer

The artist Tessa Farmer creates magical worlds ruled by minuscule fairy skeletons, who are not just mischievous but downright evil.

Her striking sculptures, which are made from insects, animal taxidermy, and plant roots, depict narratives that are no doubt dark and infused with maliciousness, yet their savagery is, for Farmer, an expression of a raw survival instinct inherent in us all. We met Tessa Farmer in London while she was preparing an exhibit for Danielle Arnaud Contemporary Art, and spoke with her about her process, why she isn’t interested in beauty, and what materials she can find on eBay these days—or in a canal by her house for that matter.