21c Museum Acquires work by Kathrin Linkersdorff

For her Fairies series, she begins by collecting tulips and carefully drying them over a period of several weeks. During the drying process, she extracts the flowers’ pigments, which she then re-concentrates into a natural dye. The artist then submerges the dried, translucent flowers into a liquid medium where their petals unfurl. Suspended in this fluid space, their delicate structures can be clearly observed at a level of intricacy typically hidden from the human eye. Often, Linkersdorff introduces the floral dye into that very same medium where it diffuses in swirling, colorful tendrils. The result is a fluid dance between the natural flow of the pigment and the brittle form of the preserved flower. 

The artist’s penetrating images result from her carefully researched and duly tested method. Yet, as studied as her process is, her approach is partly governed by the spontaneous will of her aesthetic intuition. Some floral subjects are drained completely of all pigmentation, drawing focus to each petal’s sinewy internal structure and blemishes, features that would otherwise be invisible or considered undesirable. Others, however, are left with some pigment remaining, effecting a diffuse gradient of color across the flower’s bloom. At the core of Linkersdorff’s practice is an interest in the hidden constitutions of all living beings, which she brings to the fore through a process meticulous study, powered by an absolute reverence for the vitality of her floral subjects.