#49 ARTIS
ARTIS has always been closely connected to nature. For 185 years, it has brought nature and humans closer together. Modern ARTIS lets visitors experience nature and ourselves, from a different point of view. Exactly thirty years ago, the first guided tour ‘Sexual diversity in nature’ was created. Since then, ARTIS pays attention to this theme […]
ARTIS has always been closely connected to nature. For 185 years, it has brought nature and humans closer together. Modern ARTIS lets visitors experience nature and ourselves, from a different point of view. Exactly thirty years ago, the first guided tour ‘Sexual diversity in nature’ was created. Since then, ARTIS pays attention to this theme every year through guided tours, talks and lectures. ARTIS can carry out the central message of Pride Amsterdam from a unique perspective: nature is queer and queer is natural! ARTIS is for everyone.
‘Homosexuality is unnatural’ is a common belief that unjustly perpetuates homophobia. Present this belief to a behavioural biologist and this will be undeniably refuted: homosexuality is indeed natural. There are 1,500 animal species alone where queer behaviour is common. The examples at ARTIS are therefore numerous. Visitors learn from an early age that a heterosexual couple is not the only option.
The ARTIS boat will be a floating green oasis. All kinds of plants, flowers and ferns decorate the boat. ARTIS shows that nature has a rich sexual diversity with animal species in whom homophilia, gender transformation and/or polyamory is common. African penguins, Japanese macaques, Chilean flamingos, reticulated giraffes… they all fit in. This makes the ARTIS boat a multicoloured mix of people, animals and plants!
Visitors on the quays are given food for thought by propositions and questions on large boards. How do you recognise a gay vulture couple? How can you tell whether a clownfish is a female or a disguised male? And how do you recognise an intersex Bennet wallaby?
