In July and August 2020, researchers mapped the biodiversity of the abbey grounds. On certain nights, moths were collected and preserved. Kopelman worked with these specimens in collaboration with Merlijn Jocqué of the Research Institute for Nature and Forest (INBO), and Wouter Dekoninck and Stefan Kerkhof of the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences. Through close observation and precise drawing, she translates the moths into artworks. Each specimen is the trace of one particular night, a moment in an endless succession of encounters between organisms and their environment. The work is shown in the anteroom of the library and connects contemporary ecological research with the site’s long tradition of collecting, archiving and gardening. Kopelman will lead a drawing workshop on 7 November 2026.

About the artist

Irene Kopelman was born in Argentina and lives in Amsterdam. She combines drawing, fieldwork and collaboration with scientists, examining how natural phenomena such as glaciers, fossils and ecosystems are studied and represented. Drawing is her tool for inquiry and perception. She has taken part in the 55th Venice Biennale, the 9th Gwangju Biennale and the 11th Sharjah Biennial, and has exhibited at The Drawing Center New York, MCA Sydney and the Art Institute of Chicago.