Edition "REMEMBER THEM!"
Botanical illustrations have enabled science to access the fleeting subjects of the plant world, independent of time and place. The precise depiction served as a substitute for the actual plant, either because it was native to distant regions and not accessible for direct study, or because it was intended to be made available for scientific research, education, and interested laypersons detached from its natural life cycle.
The series "Remember them!" draws on elements of botanical illustration: plants are presented against a neutral background, with the botanical name, location, and date of collection recorded within the image. The focus is not on botanical accuracy but on the subjectively assigned documentary value of the resulting image.
This documentary approach does not primarily aim to overcome the transience or geographical specificity of the plants but follows a subjective dramaturgy of remembrance. Thus, the series reflects the ongoing loss of biological diversity and condenses the global threat of climate change into the microcosm of the individually experienced garden space. What was once a scientific-artistic tool for objective representation becomes a subjective photographic laboratory of memory.
Edition „Solastalgia“
This series of 11 motifs is titled "Solastalgia," a term introduced in 2005 by Australian philosopher Glenn Albrecht. This neologism combines the Latin word solacium (comfort) with the ancient Greek word algos (pain), and was coined by Albrecht to describe the psychological distress and pain experienced by residents of the Hunter Valley in response to the destruction of their homeland due to the massive expansion of coal mining. With this word creation, Albrecht sought to articulate the painful feeling that arises when the natural environment around us undergoes irreversible change—when landscapes, through drought, wildfires, floods, and other consequences of climate change, permanently lose their familiar appearance. We become homeless not because we leave the land of our origin, but because that land and its landscapes have changed so profoundly that we can no longer perceive them as familiar and comforting. This results in a sense of loss and uprootedness, affecting not only individuals but also entire communities whose homes have been irreversibly destroyed by the climate crisis.
What remains is a longing for the lost "paradise."
The images in this series present snapshots that seem to have been torn from a distant memory. Gathered are motifs ranging from individual blossoms to park-like scenes and water lilies floating on a pond. Like fragments of long-past perceptions, the individual motifs come together to form a kind of memory protocol, stripped of color. Textures and shapes emerge from cool, leaden shades of blue, as if the act of remembering can barely succeed in bringing these once-real images back before our mind’s eye.
Edition "ZEITENWENDE"
In this series, the artist explores the feeling of fear in the face of a future that seems to be slipping out of our control. The term "Zeitenwende " (turning point) has become a catchphrase to describe the immense societal challenges of our time. In various contexts, it conveys a Quo Vadis situation—a society at a crossroads. In each of the series’ visual worlds—composed solely of floral materials—the artist evokes the motif of a path leading into an uncertain, at times menacing future. Often it is only visible at second glance and leads into the depths of a mystically charged scene. The artist situates these scenes by naming each motif after familiar elements of nature and garden spaces, evoking a sense of supposed familiarity. Branches, stalks, and leaves appear unnaturally large, growing into a dense, impassable thicket that offers a way through only via a faintly illuminated path. What awaits us at the end of this path? What dangers lurk in these enchantingly beautiful, yet ominous landscapes? What unfolds is a representation of nature that may no longer seem natural at all.
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Edition "Farewell Flowers"
This photo series makes the viewer a witness to various moments of farewell, in which flowers serve as silent props. Yet each image remains deliberately ambiguous, offering only a vague suggestion of a farewell scene, leaving the specific context abstract and open to interpretation.
In this ambiguity, the flower shifts from mere prop to central visual element, presented as an integral part of social ritual. We mourn by placing flowers on the graves of the departed; we express love and affection by gifting them to those we cherish; we celebrate life’s milestones by adorning our spaces with floral arrangements. In moments of deep emotion, we speak the language of flowers.
And yet, in each image of the series, this language seems to have fallen silent. It is as if we have robbed the flowers of their power to comfort or to bring joy. They appear alien, adrift—like hollow relics from a time when we still understood their meaning. In this way, the series suggests a farewell of a different kind: a growing estrangement between humankind and the natural world—a world whose very existence is now imperiled by our actions. These motifs are available as fine art prints upon request.
Edition "Epitaph for a Flower"
This monochrome series of images portrays expressive plant personalities. Displayed are silky tulip blossoms, wilting English roses, and elegantly twisting black fritillaries. The character of the photographs is defined by flat light and dark tones and soft contrasts, creating the impression for the beholder of looking at a relief that is carved in stone. A relief, like those we know from tombstones. The so-called epitaph, from the Greek meaning "belonging to the grave," refers to an individual inscription or pictorial representation on a deceased person's tombstone, meant to characterize, honor, and preserve the memory of that person.
In the case of this series, however, the memory is not of a beloved person but of the plant’s lifespan limited by the passing seasons. This implies a deeply felt mourning over the passing of a plant, akin to the grief we experience when saying farewell to a loved human being. Thus, the title of the series, Epitaph for a Flower, not only picks up on the stylistic approach of the photographs but also alludes to the symbolic meaning of the flower motif, reminding us of our transience and the mortal character of all existence.
