In pictures: A taxidermist’s collection of fantastical creatures

A Yellowknife taxidermist’s private studio contains a host of prehistoric and fantastical creations, from a life-sized mammoth to a mythical half-man, half-bull minotaur.

“You’re supposed to come in here and almost transform into a different world,” said artist Dean Robertson of his home studio.

“Spend enough time in here and you actually believe that they’re real.”

Among skeletons of dinosaurs and dragons, Robertson has mounted two large cats originally from South Africa – a white lion and tiger – that made their way north after passing away at an Ontario zoo.

“I always had an interest in doing it,” said Robertson, who began learning taxidermy in high school. “It’s just like an addiction, a passion.”

Robertson has opened a taxidermy museum in Yellowknife with his brother, Greg, called Nature’s North Wildlife Gallery. Here, the brothers showcase a variety of northern animals in creative scenes of nature.

“The whole gallery is also to educate people, because the more people know about the wildlife that’s out there, the more people are going to protect them,” said Robertson.

“[We] try to display all their soft sides, that they’re not just wild animals preying on each other, but they play, they’re affectionate, and they’re part of this world, so they all belong together.”

Robertson enjoys working with larger animals and is responsible for creating the scenes with muskox, bears and bison, among others. His favourite piece at the museum is a muskox herd standing in a half-moon shape around its calves.

“They go into circles when they protect their calves from a predator. So the visitors to the gallery are the predator,” said Robertson.

“You’ve got to do something to tell a story, right?”

The brothers plan to expand the museum to accommodate their growing vision as artists. They hope to create a second room of taxidermy featuring a “High Arctic scene,” with seals and a walrus already in the works.

They also hope to create space for local artists to showcase their work, host workshops, and display some of the prehistoric and fantastical taxidermy projects that line the walls of Robertson’s studio.

This expansion is under way, thought it could take a few years before the brothers can showcase Robertson’s mythical creations to the public. Until then, they remain in his private collection.

Robertson recently created an Instagram page to share his projects with the world.

“It’s very low-profile. I don’t advertise myself,” said Robertson. “We’re just kind-of kicking around the idea [of] a ‘meet the artists’ kind of thing, because people like that stuff.”

Robertson’s workshop was inspired by fantastical and medieval aesthetics, with swords and axes lining the walls, a full suit of armour in the corner, and chests filled with materials for his work.

He plans to create a cave-like ceiling, lined with glowing celestite crystals.

Above his head, a dragon skeleton he created hangs from the ceiling.

“I had all these extra bones lying around and I put them all together,” he said. “There’s, I think, about seven different species of bones in there.”

Robertson studied zoology and ecology in university and spent time as a biologist. He left to become a full-time artist.

“I wasn’t trying to be an artist. That was my pathway,” he said, adding he was “kind-of a shy artist for the longest time.”

Robertson’s work can be found around the world in museums and private collections.

In recent years, Robertson developed an autoimmune disease that he says “tore apart” his joints and caused blindness in one eye. He now focuses his time on larger collections to sell to other museums, mostly in China, and expanding his own museum.

Robertson says that work fits well with his life now, because he can work at his own pace and rest when necessary.

Arctic animals like polar bears are the most common requests from Chinese museums, according to Robertson, as well as caribou and muskox pieces.

Once his day is done, the studio transforms into an eclectic man-cave where he hosts family and loved ones. Four of his five brothers live in Yellowknife, as well as his mother.

Robertson says taxidermy is an important educational tool to teach people about animals and preserve them for future generations.

Many scenes he’s brought to life were inspired by real-world experiences. Robertson says this is an important component of the work he does, which relies on a strong relationship with wildlife to capture the right facial expression or pose.

But he’s concerned that fewer people are taking up the trade.

This is compounded by a decline in hunting and trapping among northern youth, which ultimately reduces the available pelts for taxidermists to work with.

“Most of our animals come from Indigenous hunters. They get the animals to support their communities and feed their families, and we buy the hides,” said Robertson.

“It seems like a dying industry, to the point where there will be no one to replace us. It’s going to be a rare thing to see taxidermy.

“If you lose that, there’s no one to take over if we get too old or tired. Then, the world’s going to miss out on knowing animals are out there.”