12 October 2026
Twenty-four more creatures from the book
There are now 36 creatures from Glowing Bugs on this site, more than a third of the 101 in the book.
An illustrated atlas of insects · A touring exhibition
Glowing Bugs
Where others see a bug, I see a spectrum.
One hundred and one insects, spiders and other small creatures, each drawn as living glass, lit from within, in neon colour against pure black. A book made to be opened anywhere and not put down: to read aloud to a child, or to keep on the table as an object.
101 species303 plates224 pages
Released 10 February 2027
The science in the book
A work of art that can be trusted
The plates are the artist’s vision. Everything printed beside them is natural history: names, measurements, ranges and facts, each one checked. This is how a page is built, and how to read it.
- 1The number and the epithetEach creature has its place in the book and a name of its own: here, “The Neon Dancer”.
- 2The common nameThe name most people know it by.
- 3The scientific nameIn Latin, with the people who first described the species and the year: Maratus jactatus Otto & Hill, 2015.
- 4Three factsShort, surprising, and written to be read aloud. Each is traced to a source.
- 5A second viewThe same animal from another side; a third appears below.
- 6Field notesRange, lifespan, size, weight, colour, diet and family, as a naturalist would note them.
- 7Five signsAt a glance: how dangerous it is, when it is active, whether it lives alone, whether it glows, and its special move.
- 8Life sizeThe animal drawn at its true size on the page. When it is too small to see, a loupe enlarges it and states by how much: here, five times.
- 9Where it livesA map of the world with its range marked, and a line saying where.
- 10The sourceA note at the foot gives the measurement and where it comes from.
Turn the pages
Every creature has two facing pages: what is known on the left, the full plate on the right.
The five signs
A row of small signs lets even a young reader compare one creature with another at a glance.
DangerFrom harmless to dangerous to people.
ActiveBy day, by night, or at dusk.
Social lifeAlone, in pairs, or in a colony.
GlowWhether it makes light, shines with iridescent colour, or neither.
Special moveThe one thing it does that no other does: a dance, an ambush, a sting.
How the book was checked
303Plates reviewed for anatomyEvery plate was compared with the real animal: the number of legs, the wings, the antennae, the markings. Plates that failed were replaced.
101Scientific namesEach species is given its Latin name, and where known the people who described it and the year.
101Maps and life-size viewsEach creature has its range on a world map and is drawn at its true size, with the magnification stated when a loupe is needed.
1List of sourcesEvery fact is traced to where it comes from: scientific papers, museums and universities, and for the dangerous species the health authorities. The sources are printed at the back of the book.
The book also has a guide to reading its pages, a glossary and an index. The plates are artistic interpretations and do not show the true colours of the living animal; the book says so on every plate.
The glowing gallery
Twenty-four plates from the book, each a creature drawn as living glass. Touch one to meet the animal.
The Glowing Series
The other books
Glowing Bugs has a companion volume and belongs to a series of three atlases by the same artist.
Most Dangerous Bugs
The companion volume: twenty-four creatures that bite, sting and carry disease, from the mosquito to the giant hornet, each at its true size with a sourced fact on why it is dangerous.
24 species64 pages
Glowing Oceans
The light-makers of the sea, from drifting jellyfish to the hunters below them. Created in partnership with the Scripps Institution of Oceanography.
Glowing Dinosaurs
The great reptiles as light and energy, bone and muscle visible beneath the skin. With Maimónides University and the Félix de Azara Foundation of Argentina.
The artist
Firoiu Dan Nicolae
Author, artist and maker of exhibitions
Author and artist of the Glowing Series, and the maker of the exhibitions that grow out of it. His art style is his own and recognisable at a glance: each creature appears as living glass, lit from within, its inner structure glowing through in neon colour against pure black.
He has made exhibitions for more than ten years. As founder of Coco Agency he created and toured Dino Planet, Living Dragons, Giant Bugs and Glowing Garden, and curated Living Dinosaurs, seen by more than 12 million visitors worldwide.
He lives and works in Sofia.
From the book
Collector’s editions
Each image at one level only
The plates of the book are also offered as works for the wall, printed at 60 or 100 cm on wood or acrylic under a layer of glass, signed and numbered by the artist.
Unique worksOne copy, with a seal of silver and gold, an engraved certificate and a pair of holograms
Editions of tenTen copies, each with a signed certificate
Editions of twenty-fiveTwenty-five copies, each with a signed certificate
From the book
The exhibition
The plates leave the page
The works in the book are also an exhibition, Glowing Bugs, which grows with the place that shows it: from a gallery to a museum, from an exhibition centre to a whole city. The series holds more than 300 works, so each showing is chosen afresh.
A gallery, as it is
A wall
Nine to sixteen works, hung in a morning.100 to 200 m²
A room
Salon walls round one great lightbox.400 to 900 m²
A hall
Lightboxes three metres high, prints of five metres.A municipality and its sponsors
A city
Twenty-four buildings, one walk, lit after dark.
The pictures of the exhibition are visualisations of designs, not photographs. The full presentation, with floor plans and views for each size of venue, can be downloaded here.
PDF · 24 pages · 2.7 MB
For venues
An exhibition for every kind of venue
Glowing Bugs is a touring exhibition of insect art and natural history. It is offered to museums, science centres, galleries, exhibition centres and cities, each at its own scale.
Science centres
Anatomy, iridescence and living light made visible. Every creature is shown at its true size beside its enlargement, with facts checked against their sources. A family exhibition that holds children and adults alike.Read more →Galleries
A wall or a room of signed and numbered works, printed on wood or acrylic under glass: unique works and limited editions of ten and twenty-five. Hung in a morning, sold from the wall.Read more →Exhibition centres
An immersive exhibition with a route from daylight into the dark: a gallery of prints, a corridor of light, lightboxes three metres high and works five metres tall. Designed and built by the artist’s team, and made to tour.Read more →Cities and municipalities
Giant insects on twenty-four buildings, linked by a walk and lit at night. A free public event for a season, with sponsors, that turns a town’s attention to nature and biodiversity.Read more →Questions from venues
How much space does the exhibition need?
From a single wall to a whole hall. There are designs for one gallery wall, for rooms of 100 and 200 square metres, for halls of 400 and 900 square metres, and for an open-air exhibition across a city.
What does the exhibition include?
The works themselves, printed on wood or acrylic under glass; lightboxes up to three metres high and prints up to five metres; the design of the route and the hang; wall texts and captions with sourced facts about each animal; and the books to show and sell beside it.
Can the exhibition tour?
Yes. It is designed to travel. The series holds more than 300 works, so each venue receives its own selection, and a returning exhibition can be entirely new.
Is it suitable for families and school groups?
Yes. The pictures speak to every age, the facts are short and written to be read aloud, and each creature is shown at its true size. A visit works for a family, a school class or an adult audience.
How does a city exhibition work?
Twenty-four creatures, five to ten metres across, are fixed to buildings across the town and linked by a walking trail, lit after dark or brought to life by projection mapping. The municipality provides the buildings and permissions, a sponsor supports the production, and the artist’s team designs and makes it. It runs for a season and is free to the public.
How do we receive the presentation or book the exhibition?
The full exhibition presentation, with floor plans and views for each size of venue, can be downloaded from this page as a PDF. To discuss dates, the selection of works and terms, write to us.
PDF · 24 pages · 2.7 MB
Shop
Books and works
To order, choose an item and write to us; we reply in person with the price, availability, payment and shipping to your country.
Book
Glowing Bugs
Out 10 February 2027
An atlas of glowing living forms. 101 species, 303 plates, 224 pages. Reserve a copy now.
Book
Most Dangerous Bugs
The companion volume: 24 creatures that bite, sting and carry disease. 64 pages. Reserve a copy now.
Journal
News from the studio
The books, the works and the exhibition, as they happen. Each note can be shared.
12 October 2026
Glowing bugs: which insects really make their own light?
The creatures in Glowing Bugs are drawn as if lit from within, but most of them make no light at all. A few do, and four of them are in the book.
11 October 2026
A city of insects: twenty-four buildings, one walk
The city exhibition takes the works out of the museum and puts them where everyone passes.
11 October 2026
Minuscule Monumental: when the insect is five metres tall
A jumping spider is no bigger than a fingertip. Printed five metres high, it stands more than twice the height of a door, and looks back at you.