Herbarium – A Conversation with Plants
25.09.20 – 22.11.20

The exhibition Herbarium – a conversation with plants is driven by Cecilia Westerberg’s passion for plants, science and magic. In the summer of 2020 she made an artist in residence at Augustiana Artcenter. She spend three days collecting plants in the park and the local area. Flowers at the wayside are a center point at the plant-based exhibition presented in the stunning mansion room.

From here there is an exceptional view to the park and the fjord. The artist’s poetic investigation of culture, colour and folk medicine qualities of plants combined with Augustiana’s architecture and unique location creates a beautiful and visual story about and with plants.

The main work of the exhibition ’Magic’ contains an installation of 217 plant colour samples. Cecilia Westerberg has boiled and extracted inck from different plants in the area and  painted on small pieces of watercolor paper. Combined it shows a surprisingly rich and beautiful colour palette by nature.

Cecilia Westerberg is occupied by Edward O. Wilson’s thoughts of ’Biophilia’ i.e. the hypothesis about an instinct relationship between human and other living organisms and the fact that we humans need to connect with nature.

To extract plant inck is a slow process. For the artist this means being close to nature and to build a relationship with the plant and the place it grows.

Besides colour samples the exhibition features  the piece ’Urkrudt’ – a furniture with 24 drawers showcasing 12 dried plants and 12 plant dye prints; ’ as well as 12 flacons with plant dye brewed in Augustiana.

Photocredits: Søgaardfilm