Blossoming Girls: Fragmented Portraits by Lis Sam

Tunisian artist Lis Sam creates intricate portraits where faces emerge from dense layers of butterflies and flowers. In his Blossoming Girls series, figures are assembled from hundreds of small, repeating elements. Up close, the surface breaks apart into fragments, wings, petals and cut shapes. From a distance, the image locks into place with striking clarity.

The idea for the project came from Lis’s experience visiting a butterfly conservatory in southern France, where he was drawn to the color, movement and texture in constant flux. That influence carries through in the way he assembles each piece, layering naturalized butterflies and floral forms to create depth, rhythm and subtle shifts in tone. The compositions lean on optical play, asking the viewer to move, adjust and reframe what they’re seeing.

Across the series, the tension between delicacy and control, fragmentation and cohesion is clear. Butterflies suggest transformation, but here they also act as building blocks, precise and deliberate.

For more of Lis Sam’s work, visit his website.

More art on the grid via Galeries Bartoux