In 'The Gardener,' Sterk launches a series dedicated to the architectural possibilities of hair, drawing from the whimsical excess of 18th-century fashion. She replaces the powdered curls of the past with a lush thicket of exotic flora, creating a pop-surrealist vision where the scalp serves as a site for agricultural cultivation. The work utilizes a bold monochrome aesthetic to focus the eye on the intricate textures of the plants, framing the subject’s head as a thriving ecosystem that blurs the line between the individual and the environment.

By blending the nurturing instincts of a gardener with the sharp precision of digital illustration, Sterk highlights an intrinsic human-nature connection. The composition functions as a collage of human experiences, suggesting that our inner lives are as complex and wild as the greenery we tend. Within its squared frame, the portrait captures a sense of vitality, presenting a supernatural figure that feels both grounded in classic portraiture and entirely alien in its botanical abundance.