Experiences are the best part of life, especially when they are enjoyable and full of surprises, and for me there is no better experience than when nature and art come together in one place.
Of all the times I have visited the city’s historic botanical garden, I had never managed to visit its museum, firstly because it was under construction, it is a new addition to the garden’s history, and secondly because I have almost always gone on Sundays, and the museum is closed on Sundays and Mondays. So this is the first time I have been able to visit it and enjoy everything on display in the two buildings.
One of the buildings hosts temporary exhibitions, and the one currently on display was wonderful; the other building is dedicated to the botanical collection, and the exhibits there are permanent.
The museum is housed in buildings that were already on the site and were refurbished less than ten years ago. Furthermore, it is situated in the heart of the natural surroundings and very close to the palace.
As I was unfamiliar with the place, my tour began in the exhibition hall; as it was the first day the works were on display, the artist herself was there, putting the finishing touches to the arrangement.
That room was itself divided into two, and I thought the layout was excellent for the purpose the artist was aiming for. The artist is Jeanne T. Leroy, an interdisciplinary artist, author and art therapist of German and Croatian origin with an international career, who has a keen interest in the complexity of perception, in this case applied to nature in general.
She connects the visible with the invisible in her art exhibition, which is why one of the rooms was dedicated to the macro world and the other to the micro world. Inside the rooms, I found explanations relating to both parts of the exhibition, and personally, the part I liked best was the micro section.
Jeanne draws inspiration from philosophy, her own thinking and the processes of nature, where her work moves freely between abstraction and figuration, exploring different aspects of biological systems and linking these to human experiences.
All her works possess great expressive power, depth and emotional intensity.
In the macro section of the exhibition, which features things visible to all of us every day, yet which many of us fail to notice, I found several works, including paintings of animals and insects such as swans, chameleons, flamingos and much more. All of this surrounds us, yet we often fail to notice it. All the works, except for the oil paintings, were behind glass, making it difficult to take photographs, but I did my best.
This macro art invites us to pause and look closely, to delve deeper and appreciate the textures, geometry and rhythms of living organisms. All these works were made possible through observation.
But when I entered the micro section of the exhibition, I was utterly captivated. The artist explains that the micro world begins where ordinary perception reaches its limits, that which exists beyond what the human eye can see and perceive. The invisible world that can be seen through a microscope.
If you look closely at the works, you will realise how beautiful they are, particularly because of the colours and textures, with most of them possessing volume and form within the frame. They look like abstract works when in fact they are expressions of the micro world, the one we cannot see with the naked eye.
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The artist does not seek to illustrate scientific facts but to convey the experience of discovery. She invites us to reconsider how knowledge is constructed, where observation becomes exploration. Each of the works is more beautiful than the next, and all were delicately lit. It was brilliant to have the artist there in person, something that had never happened to me before. That’s why I was telling you about those unique experiences.
As I left that building, right opposite, I found the botanical collection, and upon entering, the first thing I saw was a large collection of tree trunks from various species. The display was arranged in a U-shape on white platforms that really brought out the best in each item.
I noticed that a wide variety of tree trunks from the different species found in the botanical garden were on display, but I also spotted a large collection of seeds to one side. It was truly impressive.
Looking just behind me, there was a large sign in both Spanish and English explaining what this wonderful botanical exhibition was all about. It tells of the Loring family and their passion for collecting, particularly archaeological collections, which are now on display in the city museum or the Customs House; but the botanical garden itself is also a magnificent exhibition, given the wealth of exotic plants it contains.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the collections became part of what was known as the ‘chamber of wonders’ or ‘cabinet of curiosities’, containing numerous rare and unique objects from the natural world, including animals, minerals and plants. All these objects were the result of expeditions and journeys from which large numbers were brought back. The most famous naturalist was Darwin.
Next to that sign, I could see a large display case, or perhaps it was a large room, but it was glazed over so that no one could see the vast array of objects that made up the collections mentioned in the text. I tried to get the camera as close to the glass as possible to avoid any reflections in the photographs. To be honest, it was well worth taking a close look at every corner of that place and every single object, it was wonderful.
An opening in the walls led me into a room that seemed hidden away, a very dark room where the walls were black or very dark grey, but with a purpose: to allow the screens displaying historical information to be seen, and I can assure you there was a great deal of information. The décor of the place was perfect.
On a surface that looked like a table, there was a large screen explaining travelling plants, plants and flowers from different parts of the world, how they have spread across territories, and how they have adapted to the diverse climates of various countries through expeditions. Málaga has a very special climate to which many of the world’s plants have adapted, and this can be clearly seen throughout the garden.
Then, on the various walls, there were more giant screens displaying a wealth of information on plant biodiversity, different species, botanical collections and how they have adapted to the city’s climate, a climate that is unique worldwide, as it allows species and flowers, for example, to be preserved all year round; it is practically spring-like for most of the year. These screens provided numerous examples.
Among the topics covered were: the palm tree collection, the history of the garden, its design, the estate owned by the family, societies, scientists and naturalists, the history of the garden during the 19th century, the city’s ornamental flora, the expeditions of collectors and scientists, and the acclimatisation of plants in Málaga.
Everything was displayed in both languages, and this museum is visited by a great many tourists, as the garden itself attracts large numbers of people from different countries.
It was a masterful exhibition, where you learn a great deal about everything to do with the botanical aspect of the city, and it is well worth a visit.
Thank you very much for joining me today; I send you my warmest regards. See you soon.
Amonet.
All photographs are my own.
Separators created by me in Photoshop.
Used translator Deepl.com free version.
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