The snake has appeared in visual culture many times over the centuries—through Biblical tales, myths and more. It often is seen as the embodiment of evil, an animal stand-in for the devil himself. This one, shown at Sim Smith gallery in London as part of A Snake Without a Head Is Just a Rope, looks altogether more cute and cuddly than we’re used to seeing. The group show explores ritual as a sequence of activities. “The title of the show alludes to a ritual being made of many component parts and how, without one of its parts, it can be made redundant or even morph or appear to be something else,” says the gallery.
