Milah van Zuilen
Dried leaves on museum cardboard
300 x 500 cm

As a forest ecologist and visual artist, Milah van Zuilen aims at connecting both disciplines in her art pieces. In her works she questions the human tendency to categorize and classify the environment – even nature. To visualize the latter, she categorically cuts squares out of various leafs and systematically attaches them side by side in her artwork “Forest Floor.” The technique used, together with the incorporation of other natural elements, and the immense size, creates the illusionary effect of getting drawn into the artwork. The viewer feels like walking into the forest when standing in front of van Zuilen’s innovative piece. Its natural origin and materials, release familiar scents of nature, allowing for a multisensory experience through texture, depth, and smell. With “Forest Floor” Milah van Zuilen manages to categorize nature while preserving its core features offering her audience an outstanding art-experience. An homage to nature and art.