An artistic tribute to the marvel of flowers
Maurice Maeterlink (1862-1949), the Belgian playwright and poet, wrote in his book “The Intelligence of the Flowers” that “they create marvels.”
Likewise, the exhibition “In the Name of Flower” under way at the Pearl Art Museum through December 6 unveils the charm of flowers via art.
The exhibition ranges from canvas and video to installation and photography, featuring nearly 150 works of art created by 25 artists from China and abroad, including well-known artists such as Nobuyoshi Araki, Zhou Chunya and Zhang Enli.
Some of the works have never before been viewed by the public.
“We hope to discuss subjects like art, life, death, desire, nature, emotion and the future at the exhibition in a more poetic way,” said Li Dandan, director of the Pearl Art Museum.
The first work visitors encounter when entering the exhibition hall is a black-and-white video titled “Natural Process Activation #3 Bloom” by Hicham Berrada. In this short film, the artist replicates a dandelion blooming, rendering a dynamic, time-lapse process of how plants blossom.
Likewise, dandelions are featured in Sun Yue’s installation work “Time Whisper: No Return.”
“I use china clay and plants to visualize the passing of time,” Sun said.
Her other two installations, “Waiting” and “Meanwhile,” also explore flowers and plants as well as porcelain. They contrast the withering process of white roses with never-changing porcelain roses, and compare luxuriant loosestrifes with unfired porcelain clay flowers.
Fans of renowned Japanese photographer Nobuyoshi Araki will love “Birth of Flowers” and “Lust Flowers.” Araki created the “Lust Flowers” series of photographs using acrylic paint to color the flower petals, immortalizing them in bright colors.
The high mark of the exhibition goes to Lee Mingwei’s “The Moving Garden,” a 9-meter-long black granite table with freshly cut flowers that appear to grow out of a canyon-like incision. The piece explores giving, intimacy and trust among strangers, inspired by Lewis Hyde’s “The Gift: Imagination and the Erotic Life of Property.”
Visitors are invited to take a flower when leaving the museum on the condition they are given to a stranger as a gift.
Nobuyoshi Araki's “Lust Flowers"
Lee Mingwei’s “The Moving Garden"
Exhibition info
Dates: Through December 6 (closed on Mondays)
Tuesday-Thursday, 10am-7pm
Friday-Sunday, 10am-10pm
Ticket price: 80 yuan
Venue: Pearl Art Museum
Address: 8/F, 1588 Wuzhong Road
