Flower exhibition, titled 'Flora in Art and Culture', debuts at the Saatchi Gallery
The Saatchi Gallery in London's Chelsea is set to host a captivating exhibition titled "Flowers: Flora in Contemporary Art & Culture," running from 12 February 2025 to 5 May 2025. This immersive and interactive showcase delves into the enduring influence of flowers on creativity, beauty, and human expression across diverse artistic disciplines.
At the heart of the exhibition is Rebecca Louise Law's large-scale installation, "La Fleur Morte," made from over 100,000 dried flowers. Suspended from the ceiling and filling an entire double-height gallery, this sensory floral experience gives off a soft aroma of rose petal potpourri.
The exhibition, supported by Cazenove Capital and Buccellati, showcases work from the last sixty years, including pieces by Alphonse Mucha, William Morris, Winifred Nicholson, Gillian Ayres, Marc Quinn, Yinka Illori, Takashi Murakami, Martin Maloney, and many others.
Charlotte Mullins, an art critic, writer, and broadcaster, is associated with the exhibition. Her latest book, The Art Isles: A 15,000 year story of art in the British Isles, will be published by Yale University Press in October 2025.
The exhibition spans two floors and nine major gallery spaces, offering a wide range of creative expressions. From large-scale floral murals and textile sculptures to punk-inspired floral fashion and haute couture adorned with three-dimensional hand-painted flowers, the show promises a visual feast.
Key works and highlights in the exhibition include Sophie Mess's vast floral mural, "Journey of Progress," welcoming visitors to the exhibition. There's also Anne von Freyburg and Jo Grogan's textile wall sculpture, "Best Chair," with ceramic tulips, blending craft and floral motifs.
Rob and Nick Carter's sculptural bronze tribute to Van Gogh's "Sunflowers" and their video work, "Transforming Flowers in a Vase" (2016), connect contemporary and historical flower art. Fashion and jewellery pieces, such as punk-inspired floral looks by Andreas Kronthaler for Vivienne Westwood, rare floral jewellery by Mario and Gianmaria Buccellati, and Daniel Roseberry’s 2024 Schiaparelli wedding dress garnished with hand-painted leather flowers, are also featured.
Digital media is not left out, with Miguel Chevalier's digital interactive flower installation adding new dimensions to the exhibition's floral theme. In one gallery, Chevalier's digital garden with infrared sensors allows the blooms to bend and sway according to the viewer's position in the room.
The exhibition also features flowers made of bones, medieval herbariums, album covers, book illustrations, corsets, and tattoos, offering a brief history of artists working with flowers and exploring the medical properties of plants and how album covers employ flowers.
An installation of Buccellati's silverware is also part of the exhibition, with six archival pieces on display, one for each generation of Buccellati designer. One gallery focuses on flowers in fashion, featuring items such as Vivienne Westwood's platform shoes, Mary Quant's flower power suits, and a rock crystal and diamond orchid brooch from the roaring twenties designed by Mario Buccellati.
With its multidisciplinary collection of contemporary artworks, "Flowers: Flora in Contemporary Art & Culture" at the Saatchi Gallery celebrates the power, beauty, and cultural resonance of flowers in art and society, featuring landmark works from a wide range of artists and mediums. Don't miss this floral extravaganza!
[1] https://www.saatchigallery.com/artists/rebecca_louise_law.php [2] https://www.saatchigallery.com/artists/sophie_mess.php [3] https://www.saatchigallery.com/artists/anne_von_freyburg.php [4] https://www.saatchigallery.com/artists/rob_carter.php [5] https://www.saatchigallery.com/artists/miguel_chevalier.php
- The exhibition at the Saatchi Gallery, titled "Flowers: Flora in Contemporary Art & Culture," not only showcases contemporary artworks but also delves into the realm of fashion-and-beauty, exhibiting punk-inspired floral fashion and haute couture adorned with three-dimensional hand-painted flowers.
- In addition to art, the exhibition also explores books, featuring a brief history of artists working with flowers and album covers employing flowers, with works such as Daniel Roseberry’s Schiaparelli wedding dress garnished with hand-painted leather flowers and a rock crystal and diamond orchid brooch from the roaring twenties designed by Mario Buccellati.
