“Flore Silver,” 2025
Drawing, Collage or other Work on Paper
Photography on paper
43 × 43 × 5 in
109.2 × 109.2 × 12.7 cm
Artist Lis Sam has an origin story. His series Blossoming Girls draws on a formative visit to a butterfly greenhouse in southern France. There, the Tunisian-born, French-raised artist saw the winged insects move delicately through the botanical landscape. Sam saw an illusion of a feminine form emerging from the butterfly wings.
“As I stood surrounded by a flurry of vibrant butterflies, their colorful movement created fleeting, abstract shapes, much like the way a child sees faces in the clouds,” Sam recalls of his time there. “I was deeply moved by the beauty of the scene, a moment of pure grace. The greenhouse was alive with energy—the lush plants and their bright colors seemed to pulse in harmony with the butterflies.”
The experience sparked the idea of the butterfly as both a visual motif and a symbol of transformation, rebirth, and fragility. Now, the series is part of his solo exhibition Metamorphosis on view at Fremin Gallery in New York.
Sam’s works utilize butterflies in multiple ways. Sometimes, the creature is rendered with fine detailing on the wings. In other instances, the repeated butterfly shape builds depth and form. The butterflies are silhouettes, clad in solid (or mostly solid) colors. But no matter how Sam uses them, they depict portraits of women and flowers with the wings dissolving into the overall composition. We can see both the individual butterflies and the giant whole they create. Photography preserves these delicate creations—the work’s final stage—transferring their ephemerality into lasting images.
Using butterflies as both metaphor and material highlights our fleeting world. This is especially potent in pieces such as Shadow Gold, where a woman’s side view seems to come apart before our eyes. Her face remains whole, but the edges of her hair and neck begin to float away. Her beauty is there at once, but just as quickly gone—literally and figuratively. It’s a poignant reminder that nothing stays the same, and that we should embrace impermanence as part of life to enjoy what’s in front of us.
Metamorphosis is on view through October 31, 2026, at Fremin Gallery.
Artist Lis Sam created his series Blossoming Girls after a formative visit to a butterfly greenhouse in southern France.
“Flore,” 2025
Drawing, Collage or other Work on Paper
Photography on paper
43 × 43 × 5 in
109.2 × 109.2 × 12.7 cm
There, the Tunisian-born, French-raised artist saw the winged insects move delicately through the botanical landscape.
“Jardin Secret 2,” 2025
Drawing, Collage or other Work on Paper
Photography on paper
59 × 59 × 6 in
149.9 × 149.9 × 15.2 cm
Sam saw an illusion of a feminine form emerging from the butterfly wings.
“Sous Les Pétales Roses – Gold,” 2025
Drawing, Collage or other Work on Paper
Photography on paper
47 × 47 × 6 in
119.4 × 119.4 × 15.2 cm
His works utilize butterflies in multiple ways.
“Sous Les Pétales Rose – Gold,” 2025
Drawing, Collage or other Work on Paper
Photography on paper
55 × 55 × 6 in
139.7 × 139.7 × 15.2 cm
Sometimes, the creature is rendered with fine detailing on the wings.
“Shadow Gold,” 2025
Drawing, Collage or other Work on Paper
Photography on paper
51 × 43 × 5 in
129.5 × 109.2 × 12.7 cm
In other instances, the repeated butterfly shape builds depth and form. The butterflies are silhouettes, clad in solid (or mostly solid) colors.
“Jardin D Hiver,” 2025
Drawing, Collage or other Work on Paper
Photography on paper
40 × 40 × 5 in
101.6 × 101.6 × 12.7 cm
The series is part of Sam’s solo exhibition Metamorphosis on view at Fremin Gallery in New York through October 31, 2026.
“Sous Les Pétales Bleu,” 2025
Drawing, Collage or other Work on Paper
Photography on paper
59 × 59 × 6 in
149.9 × 149.9 × 15.2 cm
“Automne Shadow,” 2025
Drawing, Collage or other Work on Paper
Photography on paper
55 × 47 × 5 in
139.7 × 119.4 × 12.7 cm
