Lené Ehlers

Lené Ehlers is an artist, illustrator, and florist living in Cape Town, South Africa. Ehlers studied a BA in Graphic Design at the Pearson Institute and subsequently completed an Honours degree in Illustrations at the University of Stellenbosch after discovering an interest and passion for the discipline.
Upon graduation, the artist started working as a florist. Her work with exotic botanicals began to inform her illustration practice and the artist began to develop a rich symbolism within her works by using botanical themes to give voice to internal landscapes. Concepts of journey, self-discovery, and narrative are often explored in her pieces. The emotional value of colours and the careful combinations of hues and tones serve as a start point for many pieces. Ehlers’ works - executed in collage, ink, gouache, and water-based pigments on paper - strike a balance between spontaneous mark-making, chance, and considered details.
Ehlers’ work has been exhibited at the prestigious Bologna Children’s Book Fair in 2017 and at Salon Ninety One for “A Hazy Shade of Winter” in 2020. She has also been accepted to participate in a residency programme in Champagne, France.
Lené is represented by Salon91 in Cape Town and Otomys in Australia and United Kingdom.
SELECTED PROJECTS & EXHIBITIONS
2021 - When it’s hot out & you wanna have a good time, group exhibition, Salon 91. 2020 - A Hazy Shade of Winter, group exhibition, Salon 91. 2017- Illustrators exhibition, Bologna Children’s Bookfair, Italy; Up Your Sleeve, group exhibition, MOK Gallery, Stellenbosch.