'Grasses' by Anne Geene is an eulogy on grasses in all their appearances. With this herbagraphic work, Geene continues building an oeuvre that is an expression of the remarkable beauty of the unremarkable. Congruent with the general line of her artistic practice focused on counting, measuring, and creating inventories of nature, the 'Grasses' series brings an ode to this undervalued but widely cultivated groundcover. In Anne Geene’s work, the photograph itself is rarely the focus — taken out of their context the pictures are often no more than a registration of an inconspicuous fact. It is the focus on the unremarkable in nature that distinguishes Geene’s approach: be it leaves eaten by insects, the colour gradations within one tree, or stones arranged by size as shown in her solo exhibition at the Kröller-Müller Museum. 'Grasses' address humanity's selective fascination with certain species over others. Some are considered weeds and removed by force, which stands in contrast to the meticulous care often lavished upon other plant species.
As a visual artist, Anne Geene (NL, 1983) captures the hidden beauty of plants and animals. With the help of photography, Geene investigates, collects and organises the world around her. The camera objectively records the materials in which Geene is looking for visual similarities, patterns and phenomena. Her interpretation of the data is strictly personal and refers to our urge to regulate and understand the world around us.
Most recent presentations of Anne Geene include a.o. The Rijksmuseum, the Kröller-Müller Museum, Het Nederlands Fotomuseum (the Gallery of Honour of Dutch Photography), NEST, h3h biënnale. Past exhibitions include a.o. Gemeentemuseum Den Haag, Stedelijk Museum Schiedam, Centquatre-Paris, Museum Jan Cunen. Anne Geene’s work is in the collections at a.o. The Rijksmuseum, Het Nederlands Fotomuseum, The Kröller-Müller Museum, Museum Van Bommel Van Dam, Van Gogh House, ING, LUMC, KPMG, Ministry of Education, Culture and Science & Ministry of Foreign Affairs.