Secret Gardens of Planet E

Selected artworks are sold as archival photographic prints and will remain available until the edition is sold out.

The Perspective

The term perspective—derived from the Latin (ars) perspectiva, meaning the science of the refraction of light rays, or more poetically, «looking through art»—is central to every work by Martin Oeggerli. Yet the transformation of perspective he undertakes becomes especially vivid in his installation series Surreal Landscapes.

Beginning in the mid-2010s, Oeggerli turned his attention to the intricate surfaces of leaves. With what he considers perfect detail, ideal magnification, and a color palette that is both realistic and exaggerated, he constructs a new way of seeing. This perspective goes beyond merely revealing the microcosm: through artistic abstraction, he reconstructs it, setting the stage for the never-before-seen. The result is a visual experience akin to flying over a surreal terrain in a small airplane—an invitation to explore the hidden landscapes of nature.

In his Secret Gardens series, Oeggerli consistently aims to surprise. The sources of his subjects are as varied as they are intriguing. Some leaves come from exceedingly rare plants, such as Loasa triphyllum, scarcely described in botanical literature and accessible only through the artist’s long-standing connections in the botanical community. Others, like the liverwort or walnut leaf, have likely never been examined in such painstaking detail—perhaps overlooked due to their unassuming appearance. And then there are the familiar ones, like basil, found in every kitchen garden, dismissed because we think we already know them.

Yet regardless of their origin—rare, neglected, or commonplace—Oeggerli transforms each specimen into something alien and surreal. By bringing them into his artistic space, he invites us to reconsider what we thought we knew, offering a perspective that is not only scientific but deeply poetic.