Flowers and fashion are entangled together in a new exhibition at Saatchi Gallery in London. ‘Flowers – Flora in Contemporary Art & Culture’ explores how flora inspires creatives in various fields, and displays works by the likes of fashion house Vivienne Westwood and Finnish lifestyle design house Marimekko.
‘Flowers- Flora in Contemporary Art & Culture’
The exhibition, at the gallery's Kings Road, Chelsea base, seeks to reveal myriad ways that flowers are interpreted by artists within contemporary culture. It takes over two floors and nine gallery spaces, with large-scale installations, photography, archival objects, fashion, and graphic design.
Archival pieces vary from high-street to haute-couture designs. There's symbolism intricate texture, romanticism and natural beauty. British designer Vivienne Westwood shared her love for and knowledge of flowers in her designs. With her iconic punk aesthetic, floral prints were used to explore femininity and revelation throughout her collections, blending the avant-garde and delicacy.
Jewellery house Buccellati, which supports the exhibition, presents six hyperrealist floral brooches. These rare pieces include the 1929 Orchid and 1960s Daisy brooches, both crafted by founder Mario Buccellati, and Gianmaria Buccellati’s 1991 Begonia brooch with matching earrings. All are a tribute to the maison’s ‘stylistic identity’.
Schiaparelli, meanwhile, presents a 2024 haute couture wedding dress designed by Daniel Roseberry. The dress is garnished in three-dimensional hand-painted leather hydrangeas, parrot tulips, orchids and daisies, on a canvas of white silk taffeta.
Floral abstractions have been a Marimekko signature since textile designer Maija Isola’s prints from the 1960s, despite the brand’s founder Armi Ratia’s belief that ‘the beauty of flowers could not be captured in an artwork’. Now, Marimekko prints are an inspiration for a new generation of designers, including recent works by Helsinki-based graphic designer Antti Kekki, whose modern floral depictions ‘capture Marimekko's joyful and artistic essence through a fresh lens’.
The exhibition also features works by tattoo artist Daniel the Gardener, which are inspired by the relationship each client has with plants. The exhibition is a tribute to the beauty of flowers and how creatives bring them into everyday life.
‘Flowers – Flora in Contemporary Art & Culture’ is on display at Saatchi Gallery until until 5 May 2025 saatchigallery.com
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