Influenced by the Japanese philosophy of wabi-sabi, Kathrin Linkersdorff captures fragile flowers in a state of decay. In its purest form, Wabi-sabi teaches you about the beauty of imperfection. Kathrin's floral still-life series 'wabi-sabi' therefore celebrates the beauty of imperfection and transience.
Capturing Fragile Flowers in a State of Decay
As an artist, Kathrin follows clear structures on all levels and her working method is not based on diversification but on deepening and intensifying. From the beginning, she introduced working and presenting in rows. Likewise, she uses a strictly square format for the photos and aims at the concentration of motifs from the plant world. Kathrin hereby predominantly prefers dried flowers and fruit bunches.
This basic constellation gives the photographer plenty of room for the encryption and transmission of subject-independent content. In this way, the principles of time and dynamics enter the work via the complex drying process and the repetition of motifs. Dried, wilted plants acquire a new, transformed liveliness by focusing on their colors.
The Magic of Transience
Kathrin Linkersdorff's familiarity with the Japanese notions of aesthetics is inherent in the more recent works. Damage and transience of the plants have become trademarks of their motifs. The sight of the flowers in her work is so internalized when looking at it, that you start to think that the tulips in the market or in our gardens are almost unnatural and manipulated. Also borrowed from Japanese tradition is the inclusion of darkness and the care with which all those surfaces are laid out in which nothing can be seen.
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