Painting | Ann-Kathrin Müller

The Symbioses of Orchids

Orchids aren’t just pretty things but are fascinating organisms that create intricate symbioses with their environment. Charles Darwin expressed his enthusiasm for orchids in a letter to his publisher: „I cannot fancy anything more perfect than their many curious contrivances“, hinting at the vastly successful adaptation of orchids to attract pollinators. What is more, beyond their ingenious ways of reproduction, orchids also tie bonds below the ground: no orchid can live without entering into a symbiosis with certain kinds of fungi. Sometimes this connection is needed only for germination, sometimes it lasts for life.

Orchid Bee

2018, 20 cm x 12 cm x 16 cm, oil on glass

By painting on glass, I open up the painted surface: The world behind shines through and the surrounding environment is reflected. The play of two-dimensional painting and three-dimensional installation allows the painted surfaces to gradually become their own object.

My oil paintings of orchids and their symbiotic partners bring together the consideration of their interconnectedness with more abstract thoughts on surfaces. Orchids as surfaces beyond which life-giving fungi networks hide; orchids as surfaces that are in direct connection with the outer environment, and with one another, through insects.

Orchideenbiene II

2023, 20 cm x 12 cm x 15 cm, oil on glass and beech wood

Orchideenbiene II (Exhibition view)

Bee Orchid

2018, 20 cm x 12 cm x 16 cm, oil on glass

Installation, side view

Bee Orchid

2019, 18 cm x 13 cm x 6 cm, oil on glass

This painting reflects upon the symbiotic relationship between the bee orchid and its pollinator. The bee orchid is a wild orchid that grows in Central Europe and other regions. Her evolution resulted in a strong resemblance with her pollinator, the long-horned bee. This shows in the orchid’s furry petals, her smell, and not least her long antennas.