Controversy over Erika Dead fly stirs up the University of St. Gallen
At the University of St. Gallen, the removal of the art installation "Fly Erika" is up for debate. The fly has many supporters who want it to stay.
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- The dead fly "Erika" symbolizes the change of an entrepreneur at the University of St. Gallen towards insect-friendly action.
- After ten years, her whereabouts are being discussed, students and professors are fighting for her preservation with a petition.
- Its future at the HSG is uncertain.
At the University of St. Gallen, the artwork "Fly Erika" - a dead housefly - is causing discussion. The reason: it is possibly to be removed, as theTages-Anzeigerreports. Students and professors are campaigning with a petition for the preservation of the insect, which has a special history.
The story behind Erika begins with the German entrepreneur Hans-Dietrich Reckhaus, who manufactures insecticides. In search of an advertising idea for a fly trap, he turned to the artists Frank and Patrik Riklin from St. Gallen. They convinced him to save flies instead of killing them, which initially meant a loss of sales. In the long term, however, the idea proved to be a success.
Today, only 25 percent of Reckhaus' products contain poison, and they are labeled as killing valuable insects. His business model promotes insect-friendly habitats and has made him a pioneer in the industry.
Artists accompanied Reckhaus' transformation with an art campaign that began in 2012 with the rescue of 902 houseflies. One of these flies was Erika, who was later pampered in a wellness hotel. These actions were documented and led to Erika's inclusion in the HSG's art collection in 2015, where she rests in a glass sarcophagus between works by Joan Miró and Gerhard Richter.
Petition launched
The fly is a symbol that art can influence a company's business plan, as the "St. Galler Tagblatt" reported at the time. But now that the ten-year loan period has expired, Erika's future is uncertain. The entrepreneur would like to keep her at the HSG, but the Art Commission has reservations, both formal and aesthetic.
The dispute over Erika has also mobilized the students. On the savethefly.ch website, Andrin Schmid and Alan Naranjo, both HSG students, have collected various campus legends about Erika. These stories, such as the alleged encounter with Barack Obama, show the students' creative support for the fly, which has become a mascot of the HSG.
University of St. Gallen does not comment on Erika
The petition to save Erika has been signed by almost 1,000 people, including many professors, the Tages-Anzeiger continues. This shows how important the bow tie is to the student body. A meeting between the art commission and the donor is to take place on Friday, which the students see as a small success. However, the fate of Erika is still uncertain.
The University of St. Gallen is currently not commenting on the issue, as the meeting of the Art Commission must be awaited. All arguments are to be discussed there before a decision is made.
The artists emphasize the importance of Erika as a link between art and business, embodying ethical thinking and action in an economic context. The HSG is therefore the ideal place for the fly, says Patrik Riklin.
The editor wrote this article with the help of AI.
