Berlin Drawing Room Blog: Herbarium

Please join us for a special exhibition of botanical illustrations created during the Botanical Drawing Workshop. The drawings and paintings on display were created through a process of close observation, both at the Prinzessinensgarten and the Berlin Drawing Room.

The workshop is inspired by the Naturalists of the 19th century, who were simultaneously artists, explorers and scientists. Through the process of drawing from life, we are seeking to discover what kind of understanding and knowledge can be gained through direct observation. Does it have a different content or quality than knowledge acquired through more passive or indirect channels? Does the process of close observation, even when directed at mundane subject matter such as the weeds of Kreuzberg, yield something unexpected?

Botanical Drawing Exhibition: July 2-3
Opening Reception with the artists: July 2, 2-5 pm
Open for viewing Sunday: 12-5 pm

Location: Prinzessinnengarten
Tiny Haus (the small wooden house in the workshop area)
Prinzenstr. 35 – 38 / Prinzessinnenstr. 15 (U8 Moritzplatz), 10969 Berlin

More about the Botanical Drawing Workshop: http://www.berlindrawingroom.com/botanical/
Next Workshop dates: August 10-31

Thank you for everyone who participated in this exhibition, and the you everyone who visited!

Thanks for visiting!

Alberto Baraya's "Herbarium of Artificial Plants" is an example of a contemporary artist engaging with the technique and history of traditional Herbarium plates. Instead of collecting living plant specimens and drying them, he collects artificial plants and disassembles them. Important to his research, like a true Botanist, is the context and location in which the plant was found. He often documents other aspects of the collection process, along with the specimen itself.

This project was presented at the 8th Berlin Biennale in 2014.