BERLIN.- Reflections on the metaphorical meaning of cultivating nature confront us with the complex legacies of exploitation. The gardens –a form of control of the wild– that once symbolised an idyllic return to nature now invite lingering questions: Can Arcadia still be dreamt today?

Traditionally, idylls have represented serene, harmonious visions of nature—untouched paradises offering an idealised retreat from the complexities of human life. However, Anna Talens’ work challenges this notion, revealing the fragility and complexity inherent in both nature and human-made spaces.

Talens intervenes in the gallery’s ground floor as the final chapter of our evolving exhibition Arcadia!. Her practice is rooted in installations that engage with historical architectural spaces, creating ephemeral works that reflect on the passing of time. The artist confronts us with a large-scale installation of a floral still life (Stillleben, 2018/2025)—an image of nature in its most lush form. An apparition in the present, with the overwhelming fragrance of flowers that gradually shifts from pleasant to unpleasant as time passes. Its shape and form constantly changing as the nature within wilts and dies leaving us with something that once has been.

Drawing from the tradition of Baroque Vanitas, Talens' Stillleben reflects on the transience of human existence. The installation speaks to the fragile nature of its occupied space within architecture and its living inhabitance, portraying the intermediate stages between full glory and ruin. Life and death. Nothing scapes the passage of time.

Anna Talens (b. 1978, Valencia) is a Berlin-based contemporary artist known for her innovative use of materials and handcrafted techniques. She holds a Ph.D. in Fine Arts from the Polytechnic University of Valencia and explores themes of memory, repetition, and transformation through installations, sculpture, and photography. Her work often incorporates found objects, elevating the ordinary into the extraordinary. Talens has exhibited widely across Europe such as Herzogin Anna Amalia Bibliothek Weimar (2024); Wehmühle Biesenthal (2024); Caixa Forum Barcelona (2024); Universidad Miguel Hernández Elche( 2022); Deutsche Parlamentarische Gesellschaft (2021); Gemäldegalerie Staatliche Museen zu Berlin (2016), among others.