German contemporary artist Annegret Kellner currently makes her home in Amsterdam. She bases her artistic practice on the subtle representation of tortured houseplants. Her unique methods therefore offer a special experience of conflict and comfort to the viewer. Almost as if in a performance, Kellner’s interventions get captured through photos and videos.
In the past, Annegret Kellner also investigated the human body in her artistic explorations. She would slowly peel plasters off or cut into a skin-like material. These early works now act as a precursor to her current work with plants, which aims to threaten nature in various ways. She not only explores the urge of plants to survive but also delves into their materiality and flexibility when facing human dominance.
To highlight this, she has devised multiple methods to showcase nature’s fragility, such as vacuum-packing her plants, encasing them in cement, and even crushing them. Thus, Annegret Kellner sends a crucial message to her viewers: appreciate and be aware of nature’s vulnerability.
Through her work, she encourages us to carefully consider the delicate relationship between nature and the human world. By doing so, she hopes to inspire viewers to better care for the environment. Indeed, this commitment to preserving nature stands as an integral part of Kellner’s creative process.