The project 200 Million Years (2022 - 2025) takes its name from the deep evolutionary history of butterflies, who have existed for over 200 million years – long predating the existence of humanity. This timeline serves as a counterpoint to their fragility today, as the ongoing sixth mass extinction and drastic insect population declines threaten entire ecosystems. The butterfly, with its beauty and transformation, becomes a doorway to question how we perceive nature and to reflect on beauty not as something isolated, but as something that arises from connection and diversity. Through different perceptions this project attempts to turn our gaze back upon ourselves and our senses, transforming us into aliens entering the world of the butterfly.

Contingency
2024 - 2025

Contingency is a photographic study of the empty chrysalides of butterflies. Within this thin layer of chitin a caterpillar morphed into a butterfly, leaving only the empty chrysalis as proof of the metamorphosis. Whereas the image of the butterfly itself is one of the most common symbols for transformation, the chrysalis is the footnote in its life story. This series reflects on transformation as a continuous process, something that is not defined by a singular event or image, but an ongoing process that often exceeds our perception. The title Contingency refers to the multitude of conditions for a butterfly to come into existence as well as the unknown future on the other side of its protective shell.

Imago
2022 - 2025

The series Imago shows the wings of butterflies. The final stage of the insect’s development is called imago, referring to the characteristic image of this one species. Focusing on one section of the butterfly's wing, this depiction does not show the shape of the entire butterfly but reveals a detailed landscape of thousands of scales that usually eludes our perception. As our relationship shifts, we become smaller and the world becomes a new mystery.

Psyche
2025

In ancient Greek philosophy the word psyche ψυχή referred to soul or ghost and was later also used as a word for butterfly. Psyche is a series showing butterflies flying like white ghosts through the dark night sky. These pictures were taken in the largest scientific butterfly collection in the world, based in Munich where millions of butterflies are pinned and stored in wooden boxes. As specimens these butterflies remain invisible for the majority of their existence – for a moment these images aim to let them fly again.