Bestiaria

In The Book of Imaginary Beings, Borges and Margarita Guerrero offer a suggestion to readers: “This book was not written to be read consecutively. We would like curious readers to frequent it, like someone playing with the changing shapes revealed by a kaleidoscope.” And Bestiary takes up this invitation. In the style of Herbaria (Libros del Zorro Rojo, 2024), this volume proposes a visual and symbolic exploration of nature, in this case, the animal kingdom. Inspired by ancient bestiaries—those illustrated compendiums that, rather than studying animals with scientific rigor, extracted moral and spiritual meanings from them—Bestiary celebrates the coexistence of the real and the imaginary, a realm where biology merges with myth. The first bestiary, published in Alexandria between the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD, was the seed of a tradition that would flourish in the Middle Ages. Although not highly regarded during the Enlightenment, these illustrated books played a crucial role in an era when images served as a means of transmitting knowledge. Bestiaria explores different styles: classical, fantastical, and monstrous. Fabulous beings, monsters, and extinct animals coexist within its pages. Each section presents a rich variety of works, ranging from medieval illustrations to contemporary creations that utilize mixed media techniques, including painting, printmaking, and illustration. This technical and stylistic diversity reflects the evolution of the representation of the animal world in art, from antiquity to the present day. Here is an animal kaleidoscope that invites exploration and celebration of the connection between animality and the fantastic.