"Instinktverstärkungselixiergarten": Planetary Plants (Series)

13 September - 4 November 2023

  • Mireille Gros

    Instinktverstärkungselixiergarten - Planetary Plants series

    September 14 - November 4, 2023

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    Planetary Plants (Blue) Series

     

    My artistic approach is not guided by theory, concept, or a particular thought. All thoughts are held on the same plane; no one idea is favored to remain receptive to the course of behavior, the course of the "world," the course of nature. — Mireille Gros

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    Planetary Plants (Pink Ink) Seires

     

    This artistic approach is epitomized by spontaneity, "sponte sua," reflecting a deliberate quest to uncover potential in each unique circumstance. These techniques adapt to the shifting context. This dynamic responsiveness ensures that every stroke is an authentic response to the moment's narrative. — Mireille Gros

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    Planetary Plants (Diversity) Series

     

    My art harmoniously blends typically unrelated elements from everyday life, which results in the creation of diverse ideas and themes. This, in turn, welcomes a multitude of interpretations unconstrained by a single intention. — Mireille Gros

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    Installation Views

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    ABOUT THE ARTIST

  • The work of Mireille Gros echoes an ideology that places plants at the center of life on earth rather than...
    Mireille Gros at her studio in Basel, Switzerland, 2023. © Cyril Bergmann
    The work of Mireille Gros echoes an ideology that places plants at the center of life on earth rather than as its embellishment. Gros does not attempt to document, catalog, or reproduce nature. Instead, she works adjacent to the plant world, drawing inspiration from its diversity and complexities.

    "I don't work after nature; I like to work with nature - making the (plant) life intelligible through lines and colors."

    Touched and dismayed by witnessing the rapidly disappearing biodiversity of the virgin rainforest in the Taï National Park in West Africa, Mireille Gros began drawing and painting plant species from her imagination. "Every day a species disappears - every day I invent a new one." Through her long-running Fictional Plant Diversity Project, which began in 1993, Gros has created an entire taxonomy of invented plant life.

    Gros lives and works between Basel and Paris. She has held local and international solo exhibitions since 1990, including the recent Kabinettausstellung at Kunstmuseum Basel. Her work is housed in private and public collections worldwide, including La Chalcographie du Louvre (Paris), Helvetia Art Collection (Basel), and Fonds d'art Contemporain (Paris). Gros has received numerous awards and held residencies in China, Mali, and Bulgaria.
     
     
    • Download press release in English | German 
    • Download artist's CV
    • Download list of works here