(24) Morpho

Time is something we cannot see directly, yet it shapes life and existence. Everything that lives undergoes a natural process of time, and Dana László da Costa’s artistic work is closely linked to this fact, as all her works are created using natural dyeing processes with plants.

By dyeing with flowers, leaves, roots and tree trunks from her native continent of Latin America, she encapsulates, in a sense, the lifespan of a plant that would otherwise be fleeting. At the same time, the colours of her works slowly change over time through contact with sunlight. This conveys the idea that they too are alive and change over time, as they are made exclusively from natural materials.

The work Morpho is inspired by a species of butterfly native to the place of her childhood and addresses, among other things, the theme of time through the depiction of the metamorphosis a caterpillar undergoes until it becomes a butterfly, as well as through the notion of the brief period during which the butterfly displays its colours and lives.

The Supernova series explores the question of time in relation to space and the many stars that are light-years away from Earth, whose light we perceive due to temporal relationships.

Both works of the Supernova series were created using plant dyes sourced from different biomes and showcase the beauty of diversity as well as the importance of protecting nature, a theme that also encompasses the concept of time in relation to our future on this planet.