Herbarius Rewilded

Herbarius Rewilded: From Medicinal Herbs to Modern Weeds is an interdisciplinary art project that reimagines the Herbarius Latinus (1484), a foundational book of medicinal plants, as a story of migration, environmental disruption, and resilience, told through plants introduced by colonial settlers for their healing gardens. Martin's research revealed that more than one third of the plants in the original text now appear in invasive-species databases and are targeted for chemical eradication, yet they continue to thrive in human-altered landscapes, often taking on new roles that support pollinators, stabilize soils, and restore depleted habitats. Once valued for their curative properties, these weeds embody the entwined historical, cultural, economic, and ecological forces underlying biodiversity loss in the 21st century.

This series consists of mixed-media paintings conceived as pages from a deconstructed manuscript. Each work employs a layered visual language that combines calligraphy drawn from historical texts, imagery inspired by medieval woodblock prints, botanical terminology presented as marginalia, and the chemical formulae of contemporary herbicides. Through art, history, and science, Herbarius Rewilded invites reflection on the roles of native and introduced species in disrupted ecosystems, the effects of agrochemical toxins on organisms from microbes to mammals, and the possibility of ecological resilience.