ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
T
he research and writing in this book are the result of many years
of exciting discussions with colleagues, students, artists, cura-
tors, and friends. Needless to say, I will not be able to mention
everyone here because much of the ground research for this book dates
back to 2010, when I embarked on my PhD on taxidermy in contempo-
rary art under the supervision of Lynn Turner and Astrid Schmetterling
at Goldsmiths University of London. Lynn’s critical feedback, guidance,
knowledge, and genuine enthusiasm for the philosophical “question of
the animal” vastly expanded my own conception of the subject in an in-
valuable way. Astrid spurred me to start my academic career during my
postgraduate studies in art history at Goldsmiths, and her influence on my
work has been substantial. Other memorable and highly influential figures
from my Goldsmiths years are Gavin Butt, Simon O’Sullivan, and Brendan
Prendeville, who I thank for their thought-provoking seminars and invita-
tions to think about realism and posthumanism from new and challeng-
ing perspectives. The first stage of this project is indebted to and informed
by conversations with Steve Baker, Rod Bennison, Ron Broglio, Helen Bul-
lard, Jonathan Burt, Mark Fairnington, Tessa Farmer, Diane Fox, Erica
Fudge, Rikke Hansen, Garry Marvin, Susan McHugh, Austin McQueen,
Marlena Novak and Jay Alan Yim, Cecilia Novero, Jennifer Parker-Star-
bucks, Nigel Rothfels, Bryndís Snæbjörnsdóttir and Mark Wilson, Jessica
Ullrich, and Joe Zammit-Lucia. Perhaps most importantly, much of the
