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Art

A temporary botanical garden of art

The curators of the current exhibition “Hortus Botanicus” have brought together works from seven artists to create a different kind of botanical garden in the Helvetia Art Foyer. One of the works is by 2017 Helvetia Art Prize winner Andriu Deplazes.

29 May 2017, text: Margrith Mermet, photo: Viktor Kolibàl

“Monstera” – the decorative indoor plant created by Franziska Furter in black PVC floats in the room, suspended on nylon threads. A painting by Basel artist Helmuth Mahrer hangs on the back wall.
“Monstera” – the decorative indoor plant created by Franziska Furter in black PVC floats in the room, suspended on nylon threads.
Young Basel artist Tobias Nussbaumer’s series of drawings is inspired by Basel’s botanical garden.
Young Basel artist Tobias Nussbaumer’s series of drawings is inspired by Basel’s botanical garden.
Pulled out of the darkness: Marianne Engel’s photographs show carnivorous plants found on night-time nature walks.
Pulled out of the darkness: Marianne Engel’s photographs show carnivorous plants found on night-time nature walks.
Andreas Karcher, Head of the Art Department at Helvetia, with artist Lorenz Oliver Schmid in front of his piece “Coast Lily (lilium maritimum), 2015”.
Andreas Karcher, Head of the Art Department at Helvetia, with artist Lorenz Oliver Schmid in front of his piece “Coast Lily (lilium maritimum), 2015”.
This piece by Andriu Deplazes, winner of the 2017 Helvetia Art Prize, shows a sturdy monstera leaf resisting a rain of fire in an inhospitable environment.
This piece by Andriu Deplazes, winner of the 2017 Helvetia Art Prize, shows a sturdy monstera leaf resisting a rain of fire in an inhospitable environment.
“Monstera” – the decorative indoor plant created by Franziska Furter in black PVC floats in the room, suspended on nylon threads. A painting by Basel artist Helmuth Mahrer hangs on the back wall.
“Monstera” – the decorative indoor plant created by Franziska Furter in black PVC floats in the room, suspended on nylon threads.
Young Basel artist Tobias Nussbaumer’s series of drawings is inspired by Basel’s botanical garden.
Young Basel artist Tobias Nussbaumer’s series of drawings is inspired by Basel’s botanical garden.
Pulled out of the darkness: Marianne Engel’s photographs show carnivorous plants found on night-time nature walks.
Pulled out of the darkness: Marianne Engel’s photographs show carnivorous plants found on night-time nature walks.
Andreas Karcher, Head of the Art Department at Helvetia, with artist Lorenz Oliver Schmid in front of his piece “Coast Lily (lilium maritimum), 2015”.
Andreas Karcher, Head of the Art Department at Helvetia, with artist Lorenz Oliver Schmid in front of his piece “Coast Lily (lilium maritimum), 2015”.
This piece by Andriu Deplazes, winner of the 2017 Helvetia Art Prize, shows a sturdy monstera leaf resisting a rain of fire in an inhospitable environment.
This piece by Andriu Deplazes, winner of the 2017 Helvetia Art Prize, shows a sturdy monstera leaf resisting a rain of fire in an inhospitable environment.

The first thing visitors notice on entering the Helvetia Art Foyer is “Monstera”, which is indeed a monstrous piece. The large cloud of black leaves floating in the high-ceilinged exhibition space is hard to miss. Franziska Furter’s installation takes the decorative house plant monstera deliciosa, also known as the “Swiss cheese plant” due to the holes in its leaves, and turns it into something quite sinister. Andreas Karcher, Head of the Art Department at Helvetia, explains: “The artist recreated the leaves of a monstera plant in black PVC, fixed them to plastic branches and hung them from the ceiling on nylon threads.”

The Helvetia Art Foyer in full bloom

The current exhibition in the Helvetia Art Foyer, entitled “Hortus Botanicus”, is a collection of horticultural painting, drawing, photography and sculpture. Works from seven artists make up a temporary botanical garden of art. They include paintings, drawings and photographs from the Helvetia art collection as well as several loaned pieces. Karcher sheds light on the idea behind the exhibition: “The artists aren’t natural scientists, and their works aren’t about botanical gardens. What connects them is an interest in investigating and visualising the aesthetic potential of the plant kingdom.” Their intention is not to depict plants in a scientifically accurate way. “The aim of this exhibition is to collect works in a single space that together form a temporary botanical garden of art.”

The works in the exhibition are by Franziska Furter, Marianne Engel, Tobias Nussbaumer, Lorenz Oliver Schmid, Annelies Strba, Andriu Deplazes and Helmuth Mahrer. The exhibition can be viewed for free until 24 August 2017 (see info box).