“I love working at the edge of perception. What fascinates me about the small is that it turns out to be even more complex than the large.” —María Fernanda Cardoso.

Spiders from Paradise and On the Origins of Art I and II extend María Fernanda Cardoso’s investigations into the behavior and structural intelligence of weaving species. In this series, the artist examines how these arthropods construct their webs, analyzing their patterns of symmetry, processes of repetition, and the mathematical precision that defines them. Captured through macro photography, the images reveal the geometric complexity and aesthetic dimension of these organisms. The technical rigor of the photographic process and the use of scientific observation technologies in the artistic language transform the biological act of weaving into a symbolic gesture—an inquiry into the interrelations between nature, knowledge, and creation.

In 2014, the artist discovered the tiny Australian jumping spiders of the Maratus genus and their elaborate mating rituals. Reflecting on her fascination, Cardoso notes: “These spiders are the most colorful, extravagant, sexy, and charming creatures on the planet. Their use of color, gesture, sound, and movement makes them some of the most sophisticated performance artists in the world.”

Although their scale renders them almost imperceptible, their courtship ritual is a spectacle of precision and exuberance. The male deploys all his ingenuity to attract the female, drawing on the iridescent hues of his patterns, calculated movements, sonic vibrations, and chemical signals. He seeks visual contact—with his eight eyes—and raises his legs in rhythmic taps. The climax of the dance is the unfurling of the colorful folds of his abdomen, which lift and expand like a fan. The female observes, evaluates, and encourages the male to display his full performative virtuosity before accepting him as a mate. The Maratus are highly visual creatures; Cardoso suggests that they possess an aesthetic awareness of their own appearance and the effect it produces
on others, using gesture, form, color, and pattern with clear performative intent.

In the installation, sixteen male Maratus species and one female are presented as large-scale individual portraits. Produced in collaboration with scientific photographer Geoff Thompson
and entomologist Andy Wang of the Queensland Museum— specialists in microphotography and microscopic specimen preparation—each image is composed of roughly one thousand digitally stacked photographs. This technique achieves an extreme level of detail, revealing every scale and filament of the animal’s body.

On the Origins of Art I–II amplifies the courtship ritual to an immersive scale. The video, accompanied by a platform that translates the spiders’ movements into perceptible vibrations, exposes the sophisticated modes of communication these species employ through sight, dance, and sound. The project celebrates the creativity and refinement inherent in the natural world, revealing the aesthetic intelligence of creatures whose existence often escapes notice.

Text courtesy of María Fernanda Cardoso and BOG25