Curating the Unexpected: Stéphane Thidet's “Weeping Stones” Transformed During COVID‐19

ABSTRACT A monumental work by French artist Stéphane Thidet became the nexus for an unexpected interaction between an art installation and wildlife. “Weeping Stones,” which presents a desert‐like world, devoid of greenery, was featured in an exhibition we co‐curated at the Genia Schreiber University Gallery, Tel Aviv, Israel, in January 2020. During a year of recurring lockdowns, we decided to keep the installation running—even though our gallery was emptied of visitors. After a few months, with the help of a zoologist, we discovered that living creatures—insects and reptiles—had left their traces on the artwork. Instead of removing these uninvited interventions, we chose to welcome them as a means of turning “Weeping Stones” into a space that highlights human inability to control nature. Consequently, the relationships created in the gallery—between the piece, its creator, the curators, and the public—changed dramatically, teaching us important lessons about slow museology, curatorial reflection, and the power of resisting intervention.