2026 Silk thread, silk tulle, botanical dyes

Dutch artist and anthroposophic physician Marjolein Hessels bridges scientific observation, spirituality, and art in her intricate studies of plants. Through life-sized embroidered portraits, she invites viewers to reconsider the relationship between humans and the more-than-human world, and to rediscover the individuality, complexity, and wonder of often-overlooked species.

This portrait was inspired by a great mullein Hessels discovered growing at a construction site in Amsterdam, precariously balanced on the edge of an excavated ditch. She rescued the plant, replanted it in her garden, and spent years studying it before creating this work. Long valued for its medicinal properties, great mullein has been used across cultures to support respiratory health and healing.

Hessels transferred the plant’s essence onto silk through botanical infusions, using the resulting pigments to embroider the portrait in the plant’s own colors. Drawing on botanical root studies as well as her own observations, the work emerges through a meticulous process that took years to complete. Monumental yet intimate, Hessels’ piece transforms a familiar wild plant into a subject of careful attention, inviting viewers to consider scientific observation and a sense of wonder as complementary ways of understanding our place within the living world.

“May an awareness arise that we live together on Earth, alongside all creatures and living systems.”
— Marjolein Hessels

marjoleinhessels.nl