INSTALLATION
MANUEL BENDER
 
DETAILS
adhesive bonding, wire work, botanicals
40 x 40 x 90 cm
2025
 
DESCRIPTION
SCYPHOZOA - series
Inspired by the fragile anatomy of jellyfish, SCYPHOZOA presents lightly floating, medusoid objects composed of individual plant fragments. Natural materials are dismantled and reassembled into surreal, dreamlike forms that appear almost alive. Influenced by the surreal visions of Salvador Dalí, these works translate imagined worlds into physical reality. Tension emerges between the known and the unknown, and the boundaries between reality and fantasy begin to dissolve.
 
BIOGRAPHY OF THE ARTIST
Manuel Bender, known as manuel_plants, is an Austrian botanical artist whose work transforms natural plant materials into surreal, living forms. Guided by an organic visual language and a strong attention to detail, his artworks explore movement, balance, and the emotional presence of nature.
Trained at a horticultural school with a specialization in floristry, Manuel is currently completing his Master Florist training (expected 2027). His deep technical knowledge of plants, combined with an artistic sensitivity to form, allows him to create contemporary botanical sculptures that feel calm, vital, and alive, inviting viewers to pause and experience nature in a new way.