[UN]Apparent worlds

Between fragment and meaning

Miniature worlds made from found objects and fragments of nature.

Between scientific observation and free imagination.

For people who want to take a closer look.

In my assemblages and collages, I combine found objects, plants, and natural materials to create small pictorial spaces. I am interested in what becomes visible in the unremarkable when we look more closely.

Collage of insect wings, leaf buds and grasses on watercolor - miniature art made from natural materials
Leaf buds, insect wings, bits of jewelry, dried grasses on watercolor paper

At second glance, the small becomes big.
In these miniature compositions, countless pieces interlock within a space of just a few centimeters—a tapestry of found objects and forms. Elements that originally had no connection come together harmoniously—somewhere between saccharine and macabre.

Collage of found objects and fragments of nature, original size approx. 10 x 10 cm

The works invite you to take a closer look –
and perhaps also to question your own perception.

Because it often only becomes apparent at second glance,
that the familiar is not quite as clear-cut as it seems.

Miniature assemblage of natural materials in an object frame with museum glass, 22 x 22 cm
Assemblage of fragments in an object frame,
Size 22 x 22 cm

I even assign a meaningful framework to the last remnants.

The materials are carefully stabilized and permanently presented in high-quality object frames with low-reflection glass and UV protection.

Assemblage of found objects and natural materials in space - miniature art by Magdalena Hohlweg
Work in space

The works are created in different formats –
from intimate miniatures to larger pictorial spaces.

Each work is individually framed in my studio
and unfolds its effect individually or in combination with others.

[UN]Apparent worlds

Cut-out insect art made from plant remains and everyday fragments - miniature assemblage in the style of a nature cabinet
New love for the most mysterious insects

Some of my works are reminiscent of historical natural history cabinets or
natural history collections—insect art in the spirit of the cabinet of curiosities, but arranged according to a strictly [un]scientific order

Nature and found objects, chance and composition tell stories about perception, values and change.

Caution: May contain traces of poetry.

Artist Magdalena Hohlweg at work on miniature collages made from natural materials, Bad Pyrmont
Magdalena Hohlweg in her studio

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About me

As an artist, I live and work in Bad Pyrmont in the Weserbergland region.
I appreciate the freedom to think without fixed categories.
That suits me – because my materials don’t particularly like to adhere to established orders either.

You can find insights into series, work processes and thoughts under these links and in the journal.

A letter from the studio

Some things only become apparent at second glance.

About once a month I write about new works,
about found objects that suddenly mean the world,
and about the idiosyncratic ways in which they become part of my pictures.

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