Insectopolis: A Natural History
May 14 - September 20
Explore the extraordinary world of insects and their deep connections to humanity throughout the ages.
Explore the extraordinary world of insects and their deep connections to humanity throughout the ages. This graphic nonfiction work, Insectopolis: A Natural History, illustrated by acclaimed cartoonist Peter Kuper, is a visual feast layering history and science, color and design, to tell the remarkable tales of dung beetles navigating by the stars, hawk-size prehistoric dragonflies hunting prey, and mosquitoes changing the course of human history.
The exhibition also shines a light on pioneering naturalists, celebrating both renowned figures like E. O. Wilson and Rachel Carson, and unsung heroes such as Charles Henry Turner, a Black American scientist whose groundbreaking research documented insect intelligence, and Maria Sibylla Merian, the 17th-century artist and naturalist widely considered the mother of entomology.
Insectopolis is both a celebration of insect life and a reflection on the environmental challenges of our time, offering visitors an unforgettable journey through a world often overlooked, but essential to our own.
Insectopolis: A Natural History will be on view at the Society of Illustrators from May 14 – September 20, 2025 in the second floor gallery. It will feature original artworks by Peter Kuper.
Peter Kuper is the Eisner Award–winning author of Ruins and the critically acclaimed graphic adaptations of Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness and Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis. A regular contributor to The New Yorker, The Nation, and Charlie Hebdo, Kuper is also the co-founder of the long-running political comics anthology World War 3 Illustrated. Since 1997, he has written and drawn Mad Magazine’s iconic Spy vs. Spy series. Kuper has exhibited and lectured around the world and teaches Harvard University’s first class dedicated to graphic novels and comics.