Thierry Boutemy, Snoek Puur Groen and Klara Kristalova

Landscaping company Snoek Puur Groen, florist to the stars Thierry Boutemy and artist Klara Kristalova create a horticultural display with living greenery

The exhibition Human After All will open in the Princessehof in Leeuwarden on the 10th of October. The last room of the exhibition will be dedicated to an impressive horticultural display created with living plants by landscaping company Snoek Puur Groen, master florist Thierry Boutemy and artist Klara Kristalova (1967, Czech Republic). Three islands of moss, ferns and other flora will offer visitors an enchanting immersive experience.

The verdant art installation of Klara Kristalova (born in the Czech Republic, but raised in Sweden) was designed and will be maintained with the help of the famous French florist Thierry Boutemy and the Frisian gardening company Snoek Puur Groen. The work is part of Human After All: Ceramic Reflections in Contemporary Art, a presentation of large installations, impressive images and intriguing animated films by more than ten artists from around the world. The three green islands seemingly emerge from the floor in the last room. Look closely and you will discover among the moss, ferns and other vegetation Kristalova's figures of animals and people, which could be regarded as guardians of the fairytale forest. The choice of plants is inspired by the flora in the forest near Kristalova's studio in Sweden.

Florist to the stars
Thierry Boutemy is internationally known for his green fingers and is very much in demand in the fashion, art and film worlds. The French florist worked on the flower arrangements for the Oscar-winning film Marie-Antoinette by director Sofia Coppola (better known for her film Lost in Translation). He makes installations for high fashion runway shows and for photoshoots in magazines like Vogue with names like Mario Testino and Lady Gaga. He also created the floral displays for Kim Kardashian and Kanye West’s wedding.

Collaboration
Frisian landscaping company Snoek Puur Groen specialises in inspiring greenery both indoors and outdoors. The collaboration between Snoek Puur Groen and the Princessehof will ensure that the plants are properly cared for during this 10-month-long exhibition. Snoek Puur Groen’s motto: ‘at one with nature, in everything we do’. They also apply this sustainable and circular attitude and approach to their collaboration at the Princessehof. Jean Berkhout of Snoek Puur Groen: ‘We are delighted that by collaborating on this exhibition with international names we are also working on the Global Goals: the 17 ambitious global goals for sustainable development to create a better future for everyone’.

La condition humaine
Kristalova's installation is the apotheosis of Human After All: Ceramic Reflections in Contemporary Art. From 10 October 2020 to 5 September 2021, internationally established artists and up-and-coming talents from East and West will exhibit grand sculptures and installations at the Leeuwarden museum. Works range from the absurdist films by artist duo Djurberg and Berg (1978, Sweden) to the tree of life by Kris Lemsalu (1985, Estonia). All works touch on the complexities of being human; La condition humaine, humankind with all its limitations, insecurities and self-confidence, beauty and cruelty. At the end of the exhibition, the Kristalova's installation invites visitors to reflect on human existence and on themselves, as we do when walking in the woods.

Partners: Ottema-Kingma Foundation, Society of Friends of the Princessehof and Club Céramique.
This exhibition has been made possible by the Mondriaan Fund (the public incentive fund for visual arts and cultural heritage) Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds and P.M. de Klerk Keramiek Fonds and Pike Puur Groen.
The Princessehof National Museum of Ceramics is co-financed by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science and the Municipality of Leeuwarden.