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
-
The ultimate amenity in this Canadian apartment building? A trio of scene-stealing restaurantsPart of Citizen on Jasper, a new residential tower, Va!, Olia, and Mimi offer a thrilling day-to-night dining experience
-
These sculptural mirrors embody the relaxed spirit of the MedPhotographed in a Mallorcan residence designed by local studio Munarq, these new sculptural mirrors by New York furniture company Ready To Hang are inspired by the sea
-
African brutalism explored: from bold experimentation to uncertain futureDiscover the complex and manifold legacies of brutalist architecture in Africa with writer and curator Fabiola Büchele
-
Artists imbue the domestic with an unsettling unfamiliarity at Hauser & WirthThree artists – Koak, Ding Shilun and Cece Philips – bring an uncanny subversion to the domestic environment in Hauser & Wirth’s London exhibition
-
Out of office: the Wallpaper* editors’ picks of the weekAnother week, another flurry of events, opening and excursions showcasing the best of culture and entertainment at home and abroad. Catch our editors at Scandi festivals, iconic jazz clubs, and running the length of Manhattan…
-
Out of office: the Wallpaper* editors’ picks of the weekThe Wallpaper* team immersed themselves in culture this week, attending theatre, music and art performances and exhibitions at some of London’s most esteemed establishments. Along the way, we may have discovered the city's best salad…
-
Out of office: the Wallpaper* editors’ picks of the weekIt’s been another week of Wallpaper* being first through the door – visiting, sampling and reporting back on the freshest in art, design, beauty and more. Highlights included a new rental development, skincare residency and Edinburgh hotel…
-
Get the picture? A new exhibition explores the beautiful simplicity of Japanese pictogramsThe simple, minimalist forms of a pictogram are uniquely Japanese, as new exhibition 'Pictograms: Iconic Japanese Designs' illustrates
-
From Snapchat dysmorphia to looksmaxing, have digital beauty standards made us lose sight of what's real, asks a new exhibitionAI, social media and the ease with which we can tweak our face mean we're heading towards a dystopian beauty future, argues 'Virtual Beauty' at Somerset House
-
Take a rare peek inside eighties London's most famous clubFrom George Michael to Boy George, photographer David Koppel captured a who's who of celerities at Eighties nightclub Limelight
-
Shop the gloriously mad inner workings of Gary Card’s brain in London’s SohoSet designer and artist Gary Card has taken over London's Plaster Store – expect chaos and some really good accessories
