artLIVE – As part of the Villa Saigon 2025 Artist in Residence Program, the French Institute in Vietnam hosted a special workshop titled ‘Portrait D’une Fleur’, led by French artist Karine Bonneval. The event was part of her multidisciplinary art project ‘Hoa Tay’.
A graduate of the École Nationale Supérieure d’Art in Angoulême and the School of Decorative Arts in Strasbourg, Karine Bonneval is an artist whose creative journey bridges visual arts and plant science.
Her projects are often carried out in collaboration with prestigious research institutions such as the Institute of Diversity, Ecology, and Evolution of Life (IDEEV) and Cornell University (USA), in search of new ways for humans to develop deeper and more sustainable relationships with the natural world.
Her work has been showcased at numerous international art venues, including ‘Nuit Blanche’ and ‘Domaine de Chaumont-sur-Loire’ (France), the ‘Berlin Herbarium Museum’ (Germany), the ‘Cornell Experimental Gallery’ (USA), and exhibitions in Argentina. She has also received several distinguished awards and grants, including the ‘Composer les savoirs’ prize from the Carasso Foundation (2019) and a residency with the Grantham Foundation in Canada (2023).
‘Hoa Tay’ – An artistic experience of chromatography and nature
As part of the Villa Saigon program, Karine brought her project ‘Hoa Tay’ – an artistic installation combining ceramics, sound, and plant chromatography. During her creative residency from June 11 to August 11 in Ho Chi Minh City, she collected native flowers and used chromatography techniques to extract natural pigments from the petals, creating vibrant strips of paper like nature’s own color palette.
These chromatography strips were not just the results of scientific experimentation but also served as strings for ceramic wind chimes each one shaped from local clay and modeled after the specific flower from which the pigment was derived. When the wind passes through, the resulting sound creates a layered symphony between sight and sound like a gentle whisper to both nature and humanity.
As part of the project’s activities, the ‘Portrait D’une Fleur’ workshop offered participants a unique and emotional experience. Artist Karine Bonneval personally guided attendees in creating a flower’s ‘portrait’ using chromatography techniques.
Participants were invited to bring their favorite flower or choose one from a collection prepared by the artist. Over the course of 2 hours and 30 minutes, Karine guided each person step-by-step from selecting the specimen and preparing the plant materials, to applying the chromatography in a process that merged science and art into one fluid journey.
The workshop space also featured audio recordings of personal stories shared by previous participants, each one tied to a specific flower creating a gentle, emotional connection between memory and nature.
Notably, each chromatography piece created during the workshop will be sent to its creator in the coming days as a keepsake – a personal memento infused with emotion, memory, and a deep affection for the plant world.
The ‘Portrait D’une Fleur’ workshop took place on July 31, 2025, at the IDECAF Exhibition Room, 31 Thai Van Lung Street, Ben Nghe Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City leaving a lasting impression on all who attended.
Photo: French Institute
