Den 21 september presenterar Galleri Glas konstnär Lena Granefelt sitt uppmärksammade fotografiska projekt The Hidden Stories of the Linnaean Herbarium på Linnean Society of London.
I projektet har Granefelt fotograferat ark ur Carl von Linnés ursprungliga herbarium från 1700-talet. Genom att belysa de 300 år gamla växterna underifrån framträder veck, ådringar, vattenstämplar och anteckningar som annars förblir dolda.
Föreläsningen följs av en visning av utställningen Herbarium | Plants in a New Light och en mottagning i sällskapets bibliotek.
21 september 2026, kl. 18.00–20.00
Linnean Society of London, Piccadilly, London
Art, history and science unite in a unique photographic study of Carl Linneaus’ own herbarium.
This is an in-person event at the Linnean Society. There will be a drinks reception after the lecture upstairs in our library, which will be displaying our new exhibition "Herbarium | Plants in a New Light".
The Hidden Stories of the Linnaean Herbarium is a photographic work depicting backlit herbarium sheets from Carl Linnaeus' original herbarium from the 18th century. By letting the light illuminate from below, folds and veins appear, the colors are enhanced and the structure of the paper, watermarks and texts written on the back of the sheet become more visible.
The feeling turns more three-dimensional, and the 300-year-old plants are resurrected.
Carl Linnaeus' herbarium is one of the most important collections of specimens in history. These herbarium sheets laid the foundation for the binomial nomenclature, the system we still use today when we talk about plants.
It is also a fantastic introduction to history as it evokes thoughts about the Enlightenment Age's eager mapping of nature while touching upon questions about the interplay between religion, colonialism, morality and economics.
Lena Granefelt is a Swedish artist and photographer whose work explores the power of plants, biological diversity, cultivation, and the intricate relationships within nature. Since 2001, she has created acclaimed books and exhibitions that unite art, science, and visual storytelling. In 2026, she received the SLU Artdatabanken Nature Conservation Award for her pioneering work in making biodiversity and nature's often overlooked processes visible to a wide audience.
