Botanical
Tyranny (The Evil of Flowers)
People are often attracted
to the aesthetics of an image or object that stimulates desire. Decorative objects are collected and exhibited in the home as status symbols of
affluence and refinement. My work engages the viewer with its seemingly innocent decorative delight; yet upon closer examination the work challenges and
questions our attraction by revealing darker truths.
When botanists sailed to
foreign lands during the 19th Century
to collect exotic plant species, the
landscape was wild and the explorers were fearful of the unknown. As they
collected strange specimens, one wonders what might have transpired in the
quest to conquer the world’s natural resources.
What cultural artifacts and
sacred plants were taken by force from the native people? By the 21st
Century,
these wild places were destroyed by development. We are still at
“war” with the environment trying to protect dwindling resources, while
still exploiting, sometimes by force, the world’s resources. Botanical Tyranny references
classical botanical illustration and printsas a critique of art history. The
strong internal “battle” in the forced integration of flowers and weapons of
war references European high culture and its complicity in violent Western
domination.
My drawings, diagrams,
installations, sculpture and prints explore the paradox of “horrible beauty,”
illuminating my concerns regarding wealth, greed, violence and cultural
traditions.
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