The project sottobosco explores, to which extent an image of wild nature and abandoned spaces can be created, which arises a feeling of being comfortable and safe. By transforming these spaces into a kind of controlled site with established safety protocols, it emphasizes the omnipresent absence in these settings, including the absence of a clear fore- and background, the absence of a human subject, and the absence of a definitive scene. This ambiguity raises questions: Is it a building site? A crime scene? A process of field research? A multifocal approach to reality reproduction is being employed, where the most illuminated object appears flat, like a leaf in a herbarium prepared for study, while less lit areas feature intricate light play and depth.
In this project, the viewer and the artist are unified, navigating the image together with a researching eye. This approach creates a perspective that challenges conventional notions of space, presence, and artistic subject matter, inviting viewers to reconsider their relationship with overlooked or secured environments.
The work draws inspiration from the sottobosco genre, which emerged in Italy but reached its zenith in the mid-17th century Netherlands. Artists like Otto Marseus von Schrieck, Rachel Ruysch, and Willem van Aelst incorporated subjects from nature that were previously considered inferior or unworthy of artistic representation, all while maintaining traditional Baroque techniques and Dutch still life composition.