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Debora Hirsch’s practice is centred on biodiversity and the quiet disappearance of endangered species. In seeking to restore something of the complexity of the real, her work draws on botanical, ecological, historical and cultural study through a method grounded in investigation, reinterpretation and theoretical reflection.

Her recent research unfolds within the evolving field of Plant Humanities, where she examines the shifting relationship between human and plant life. Working across drawing and painting, AI models, proprietary datasets, algorithmic processes and animation, she explores the forms of artistic storytelling that can emerge in response to the commodification of plants, our collective obliviousness to vegetal existence, and the erosion of reverence for the nonhuman world; an inquiry into the ethical and aesthetic dimensions of extinction.

Her sources include herbaria, scientific archives, rare books, digital repositories, textual records and visual materials from expeditions. Conversations with humanists and botanists continually shape the conceptual architecture of the work. In her practice, beauty sharpens attention and draws the viewer more deeply into the dense, unfinished life of plants.