Juul Kraier's Hybrid Women Return to Milan After 16 Years

Juul Kraier (Assen, 1979) returns to Galleria Monica De Cardenas in Milan after 16 years with a solo exhibition exploring the fusion of female bodies with vegetation. The works, executed in charcoal and pastel on paper, depict metamorphic figures that blur the line between human and plant, evoking classical myths from Ovid, Apuleius, and Dante. Kraier's practice, which has consistently investigated the woman-plant relationship since her earlier show, now feels prescient amid current ecological debates and renewed attention to female artists. The exhibition also includes a new series of surreal collages sourced from 19th-century French magazines, echoing Max Ernst's technique, where female figures hybridize with flora and fauna in fantastical landscapes. The drawings exude composure, grace, and harmony, even in unsettling details like snakes coiling around heads or tadpole-like droplets sliding down necks. Postures and gazes reveal an influence from Eastern aesthetics, lending a sacred quality to the subjects. The show highlights the strength of drawing on paper, a medium often overlooked by collectors in Italy.