Hidden Messages

View of the exhibition. Kasteel Wijlre Estate, The Netherlands

View of the exhibition. Right in the image: "Stratification of seeds in the laboratory of the Mandragora Institute", oil on canvas, 200x200cm.

Fragment of the exhibition. "The Mandragora Institute is onder construction".

View of the exhibition, Kasteel Wijlre Estate, The Netherlands

View of the exhibition. In the foreground: "The laboratory building of the Mandragora Institute is also due for renovation".

View of the exhibition. Right in the image: "This design for an artwork on the forecourt of the Mandragora Institute was created by a young Finnish artist at the request of the institute's management. The artwork symbolizes the interaction between science and nature. Although the project ultimately fell through due to a lack of funding, it generated many useful ideas".

View of the exhibition. Ultraviolet garden, where the messages of the plants become visible.

Fragment of the ultraviolet garden.

In the garden of Kasteel Wijlre Estate: "Recently, researchers at the international Mandragora Institute have observed several cases of tadpoles being ejected en masse onto land. The tadpoles formed a circle about 80 centimetres in diameter.
It was also discovered that when the leaves of nearby plants are exposed to ultraviolet light, the inscription ‘No culture – no future’ becomes visible. Scientists agree that nature is not only sending us messages but also showing us where they can be found.
Here you can see a reconstruction of one such tadpole circle, found a year ago. On the leaves of plants near this location, the message ‘No culture – no future’ becomes visible under ultraviolet light".

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The Hidden Messages project explores the evolving relationship between culture and nature.

Where culture once sought to dominate nature, today we recognize the need for preservation and cooperation. At the heart of the project is research by the Mandragora Institute, an international center in the Austrian Alps, where scientists have discovered that some plants carry not only ultraviolet signals for pollinating insects but even hidden messages addressed to humans, which can also be read in ultraviolet light.

Our project highlights this dialogue between humanity and the natural world, showing how culture and nature can support and enrich each other in the face of environmental and social challenges.