Wilting Flowers by Daan Gielis

The Antwerp Art scene was deeply moved by the news of Daan Gielis' passing on May 2, 2023. Join us in honoring his artistic legacy, by visiting one of his publicly accessible works.

In 'Wilting Flowers' (2022), whithering flowers shine brightly in gorgeous neon colors. These flowers are in between two worlds: they are no longer blooming, but they are not yet dead. Gielis based the composition on seventeenth-century woodcuts from the archives of the Plantin-Moretus Museum in Antwerp. At the time, the desire to register the natural environment led to modern botany; but it also caused the tulip mania, the first major financial bubble. Gielis places these historical facts in a contemporary context, in which we are struggling with an unprecedented loss of biodiversity and an ecological crisis. (Text by Bram Ieven)

'Wilting Flowers' (2022) can be visited at any time during the Antwerp Art Weekend. Scan the QR code outside of the fence, and light up the bouquet. You can find the installation here.