Flora Fauna

The series consists of six works centred on wordplay that combines fauna and flora by literally translating a Dutch plant name into an animal. The plant names used as a starting point always contain an animal name. However, the etymological link between the plant name and the animal it contains is not merely a visual one. This ensures that the end result is clearly not part of our reality, yet it does not appear impossible. It is not so far removed from the ‘Mock turtle’ and other fantastical creatures from Alice in Wonderland. Because the link between plant and animal shows only a relatively literal and primarily illustrative connection, the work leaves room for the viewer’s escapist speculation about a world in which these animals might live. In this work, a deliberate choice has been made for literalism and the illustrative, without further profundity or the need for exhausting deep thoughts, as a response to Covid-19. It is a choice for positive things, for adding positivity to a world that is already dark enough.