Left: wood, Dimensions (50cm x 30cm). Right: photographic prints on Torchon paper, dimensions: 60cm x 40cm each
In a time of ecological crisis and increasing disconnection between humans and their environment, I seek to sharpen sensitivity toward nature’s vulnerability. In The Skin of Nature, I question the Western view of nature as something passive. By giving nature a skin similar to our own, I place it on equal footing with the human body. Skin represents both protection and vulnerability. Nature appears not as a distant landscape, but as a living, sensitive presence.
The photographs are extreme close-ups. Small natural details are removed from their context and become unfamiliar. Enlarged, they invite slow looking and draw attention to what is usually overlooked. The images exist between scientific observation and personal feeling. Printed at 40 × 60 cm, tiny fragments gain presence and dignity. The work is arranged as a triptych, moving from green—standing for nature and life—toward pink, which refers to human skin. This gradual color shift suggests transformation and ecological change. Short poetic texts speak directly to the viewer, inviting reflection on our relationship with nature and our responsibility toward it.
Svenja Große (*2003) is an emerging artist studying primary school education with a focus on art. Her work explores everyday surroundings and the connection between humans and nature. She mainly works with photography, using layering, strong enlargement, and natural materials to shift meaning and perception.
Her practice is shaped by her time in a forest kindergarten, where nature is experienced as an active partner. This has influenced her interest in careful observation, interaction, and ecological awareness.