Julie Hamisky's Alchemical Garden Exhibition at Pandolfini Auction House

An "Alchemical Garden" by French artist Julie Hamisky is currently on display at Pandolfini Auction House in Milan, located at Via Manzoni 45. In collaboration with Galerie Mitterrand, the auction house is presenting a solo exhibition of the artist, born in 1975 and granddaughter of Claude and François-Xavier Lalanne. Hamisky's work features tulips and suspended plant structures that, while seemingly delicate, are transformed into permanent sculptural forms through electroplating. This technique involves immersing flowers, leaves, and plant elements in an electrogalvanic bath. Through this process, Hamisky preserves the intricate veins, folds, and textures of the organic material, fixing them at the moment just before natural decay. She thus creates enduring gardens, challenging the ephemeral nature of the natural world. The exhibition is curated by Ivan Mietton and runs from April 22nd to April 26th, 2026.

"Variations in current, duration, and temperature produce subtle chromatic modulations, from deep greens and electric blues to lilacs and warm copper tones," the artist explains. "Oxidation and fire complete the transformation, leaving thin metallic shells that retain every fold and vein of the organic origin." Examples include *La Géante* (2024), an enlarged poppy with nearly architectural dimensions that merges botanical precision with sculptural presence, and *Aqua* (2024), a chandelier composed of galvanized plant forms, transforming nature into luminous structures. Further sculptures like *Bloom*, *Volcano*, and the *Still Life* series explore the interplay between ornamentation, object, and autonomous form.

The exhibition also includes a selection of the artist's jewelry, where individual flowers and botanical fragments are preserved at their original scale. These wearable artworks, created using the same transformative technique, allow the body to become a point of connection with suspended nature. "You never truly know the outcome of electroplating; it's always a surprise," Hamisky reveals. "Sometimes decay highlights a specific characteristic, other times it completely transforms it," she concludes.

Pietro De Bernardi, CEO of Pandolfini, speaks about the synergy between the auction house's space and the exhibition. He strongly supported the project, recognizing Julie Hamisky's work as an ideal synthesis of contemporary art, design, and artisanal tradition. "Making our venue available for initiatives like this means transforming it into a vibrant space for encounters and discoveries," he states. "We want Pandolfini to be not only a reference point for the art market but also a cultural hub where diverse disciplines and visions can meet and generate new connections."