Annette Kelm Angel Wings / Gaiskraut, 2023

Angel Wings / Gaiskraut is a work from Annette Kelm’s series of floral still-life arrangements. The work depicts a so-called Angel Wings plant (German Gaiskraut Engelsflügel). The paper background has a color gradient in pastel tones: blue, pink and yellow. The right corner of the paper is torn and damaged, behind it a green wall is visible. The plant is set in a dark blue container, which can be seen through the leaves at the bottom. Incongruously, a piece of newspaper is sticking out from behind the plant: it is unclear if the plant is wrapped in the newspaper. The fleshy silvery-white leaves, with their soft bloomy surface, pick up on the gradient of pastels in the paper setting, creating a tension between foreground and background and challenging our idea of an absolute perception of color.