Primitif Beetles

Artist:       Shoosty® Year: 2023

Medium: Duplex Printed Ink 18mm Silk Twill

Size:      50” x 50” 

Primitif Bugs features three water bugs filled with a modified pattern called Primitif. The bugs have a splash of hair on their heads, which seems comical and engaging

The Primitif pattern is inspired by the traditional art and culture of Africa, which is based on simple shapes and elements that would be considered primitive to European culture. The term primitive has been used by Westerners to describe non-Western art and people as inferior, uncivilized, or savage. However, this term is misleading and disrespectful, as it ignores the diversity, complexity, and creativity of African art and culture.

The Primitif pattern uses circles and triangles to create geometric and symmetrical designs that are both simple and complex at the same time. The pattern also uses colors and textures that evoke Africa.

The artwork is based on real creatures that belong to the order Hemiptera, including water bugs, cicadas, aphids, and scale insects. They feed on plant sap or animal fluids. They also have two pairs of wings, with the front pair being thickened and leathery at the base and membranous at the tip. 

Pimitif Beetles resemble giant water bugs, which are aquatic predators that can grow up to 5 inches in length. They have large eyes, long antennae, and powerful raptorial forelegs that they use to capture and hold their prey. They also have hair-like structures on their legs and abdomen that help them breathe underwater.

As Coco Chanel once said: “Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street; fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live.”