For her exhibition Winter Sleep (2013), Mariëlle Videler created a new installation of 5.000 butterflies made from plastic waste. Together with her neighbours and friends, she collected many kilos of discarded plastic, from which she selected white, black, pink, green, and orange for her butterflies. These were pinned to the walls with needles.

The work refers to the tradition of butterfly collecting, practised by missionaries and wealthy collectors alike. Butterflies were caught with a net, then killed in a killing jar to keep them as unblemished as possible. With their wings spread wide, they were then dried on a setting board and afterwards pinned for eternity in insect cabinets across various Western countries.

Videler placed her butterflies beyond the reach of the eye — high up and tucked into the corners of the room — as though they were quietly wintering within the space.