Heike Taschner Jeske’s Roses Bloom in a New Exhibition at La Motte

Enter Heike Taschner Jeske’s world, where every petal, shadow, and curve tells a story, and the rose becomes a living, breathing experience.

Step into the world of Heike Taschner Jeske, where the rose is more than just a flower; it embodies architecture, memory, and emotion. From 18 October 2025, La Motte Ateljee will host ROSE’D, an exhibition inviting visitors to see the rose as never before, through sculptures, installations, drawings, and prints.

Running until 22 February 2026, the show promises an immersive encounter with the beauty and symbolism that have characterised Heike’s work for over twenty years. Raised on her father Ludwig Taschner’s renowned rose farm, Heike’s early life was shaped by petals, fragrance, and blooms. She grew up observing the intricate anatomy of roses, learning their scent, form, and delicate structure, and witnessing their transformation from bud to blossom.

This intimacy with nature became the foundation of her artistic journey, inspiring a practice that merges meticulous craftsmanship with creative imagination. Heike’s work spans multiple media, including bronze, stainless steel, ceramics, ink, and paper, often coming together in large-scale, site-specific installations.

Her pieces are not merely viewed, but experienced. In 2023, her Embrace installation at Melrose Gallery suspended soft white petals in midair, creating a space for reflection and calm. In 2019, the Thuli Madonsela Rose, commissioned for Ludwig’s Rose Festival, shimmered under projected light, allowing viewers to engage with themes of truth and forgiveness through the delicate language of petals. Each creation challenges the boundaries between fragility and monumentality, inviting visitors to pause and wonder.

ROSE’D represents the culmination of Heike’s devotion to the rose, combining her sculptural mastery with other forms such as monoprints, watercolours, charcoal drawings, and ceramics. The centrepiece is a larger-than-life rose that appears to erupt from walls and ceilings, drawing visitors inside as if they were part of the bloom itself.

This installation explores scale, material, and space, fostering intimacy and awe amid its grandeur. The exhibition also celebrates the enduring connection between the Taschner and Rupert families. Ludwig Taschner bred roses in honour of the Rupert family, including the Hanneli Rupert and Berdine cultivars, which now line the driveway to La Motte estate, a legacy reflected in Heike’s work. Selected contemporary artists have been invited to respond to her practice through the theme Flourish, creating a dialogue around growth, beauty, and the cyclical nature of life. Even as her practice sometimes touches on weightier themes like fear, politics, and trauma, Heike’s roses consistently return to hope, wonder, and reflection.

“This installation is presented to the viewer as a choice to immerse in awe, purity and comfort of the large white rose petals,” she explains, capturing the essence of what visitors can expect at ROSE’D.

From mid-October through late February, La Motte Ateljee will offer this extraordinary journey into Heike Taschner Jeske’s world, where every petal, shadow, and curve tells a story, and the rose becomes a living, breathing experience. | heiketaschnerjeske.com