London’s Saatchi Gallery is set to welcome visitors into a world of floral fascination with its upcoming exhibition, Flowers – Flora in Contemporary Art & Culture, opening on 12 February 2025. This ambitious showcase surveys the enduring influence of flowers across various artistic disciplines, from painting and photography to sculpture, fashion, film and music, across nine major gallery spaces.
Saatchi’s mammoth list of artists is like a who’s who of today’s contemporary art world – so much in fact, it’s hard to believe that so many fantastic minds are present in one place. There are over 500 artworks and objects on display and the show is divided into nine sections – from Roots, In Bloom, Flowers and Fashion, Science: Life & Death, to New Shoots – each exploring different creative themes and media. Large-scale installations by Rebecca Louise Law and Miguel Chevalier are included, as well as pieces by renowned contemporary artists such as Alex Katz, Gary Hume, Gillian Ayres, Jessica Backhaus, Mandy Barker and Marc Quinn. Emerging talent also has a platform, making Flowers – Flora in Contemporary Art & Culture a vibrant and dynamic celebration of today’s global creative landscape.
Flowers have long served as muses for artists, writers and creatives, symbolising beauty, transience and emotion. This exhibition traces both historical and modern representations of floral motifs. The Roots section takes visitors on a journey through Renaissance and Dutch paintings, to the reveries of the Arts & Crafts Movement and modernist interpretations in the 20th century. Fast forward to today, and In Bloom showcases contemporary artistic interpretations over the past 30 years, proving that flowers remain a rich source of inspiration. Not only do visitors get the opportunity to engage with the most prominent artists of our times, but they will also follow a trajectory of artistic movements through the ages.
One missing name is Ori Gersht. He is known for explorations of memory, history and impermanence, often using flowers as a central theme. In series like Blow Up and On Reflection, Gersht captures moments of destruction and transformation, freezing explosive motion with high-speed photography. His images of delicate floral arrangements – often inspired by classical still-life paintings – are shattered, burned, or distorted, highlighting the fragility of beauty and the tension between creation and decay. Still, it’s curious not to see his work curated alongside so many other big-named artists.
One of the most striking sections, Flowers and Fashion, examines the enduring relationship between flora and personal adornment. This segment spans everyday textile prints to haute couture masterpieces, and includes a stunning display of jewellery and silverware from Buccellati – known for its signature intricate engravings. Another major highlight of the exhibition is La Fleur Morte by Rebecca Louise Law. The breathtaking installation transforms a 2,000 square-foot gallery space into a mesmerising environment of over 100,000 dried blooms, inviting visitors to contemplate nature’s beauty and fragility. Meanwhile, pioneering French artist Miguel Chevalier presents a fully immersive digital projection, where virtual flowers and plants respond to visitors’ movements across a 70-square-metre area.
A key name to know is Dutch photographer Viviane Sassen. She is known for her bold use of colour and shadow, and often incorporates flowers into her work to explore themes of beauty, transformation and the surreal. In projects like Flamboya and Parasomnia, Sassen uses flowers as dynamic subjects that blur the line between the natural and the abstract. Her compositions feature vivid hues, high contrasts and unexpected juxtapositions, turning plants into sculptural or dreamlike forms. By playing with perspective and light, she transforms botanical elements into striking visual statements, infusing them with an enigmatic and unsettling presence that challenges traditional notions of still life and portraiture.
The exhibition also examines popular culture, exploring flowers as motifs in film, literature and music. A wall of vinyl records showcases album artwork spanning decades, whilst sections on poetry and cinema reveal how different species have been used as powerful symbols and metaphors. Scientific perspectives on flora are explored in Science: Life & Death, developed in collaboration with the Chelsea Physic Garden. This section delves into medicine and poisons, the mathematics of floral patterns, and the influence of the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. Rare botanical illustrations from the Schroder Collection add depth to this exploration. The final segment, New Shoots, shines a light on emerging artists pushing the boundaries of floral representation, ensuring that the tradition of flower-inspired art continues to evolve.
Flowers – Flora in Contemporary Art & Culture promises to be a celebration of nature’s timeless role in inspiring artistic expression. As the journey unfolds, it becomes clear that flowers are more than just decorative – they are symbols of life, beauty and creativity, deeply embedded in the human story. The show continues until 5 May 2025.
Words: Shirley Stevenson
Image Credits:
1. Viviane Sassen, In Bloom (shot for Dazed & Confused magazine), 2011.
2. Kior Ko, Scent.
3. Mandy Barker, Hong Kong Soup 1826 – Lotus Garden, 2014.
4. Rebecca Louise Law, Calyx.
5. Carmen Mitrotta, Geometric Leaves. Courtesy the artist.
6. Erwan Frotin, Freesia sp. (from the series Flora olbiensis), 2007.
