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Marc Quinn’s Monumental Flowers Invite Us to Reflect Upon Our Evolving Relationship with Nature

25 Jul, 2024

This post was originally published on Colossal

“Light into Life (The Evolution of Forms)” (2024). All images © Marc Quinn and RBG Kew, shared with permission

From bronze, chrome, and silicone, Marc Quinn’s larger-than-life botanicals emerge with delicate precision. The exhibition Light into Life at Royal Botanic Gardens Kew in London continues the artist’s exploration of the boundaries between the natural and artificial, the living and non-living, sexuality, and the passage of time.

Quinn often uses a mirrored effect to literally reflect humanity in nature while blurring the lines between the work and its surroundings. In others, he emphasizes the heft, history, and scale possible with bronze. For example, “Held by Desire (The Dimensions of Freedom)” and “Burning Desire” tap into the metaphorical association of flowers to human biology and anatomy, their titles emphasizing emotional parallels, like the precise tension of a carefully-tended bonsai or the supple petals of a red, sensual orchid with yearning.

Orchids, bonsai, and tropical flowers provide the starting point for Quinn’s remarkable sculptures that emphasize permanence and in a realm that relies on the opposite: changing seasons, weather patterns, and visiting pollinators. He confronts the ephemerality of blossoms and leaves by casting their likenesses at a monumental scale in metal, freezing blooms to preserve the zenith of their beauty, or immersing entire bouquets in silicone oil to indefinitely sustain their vibrancy.

Light into Life continues through September 29. Explore more of the artist’s work on his website.

 

a woman looks up at a larger-than-life bronze sculpture of a bonsai inside a Kew Gardens space

“Held by Desire (The Dimensions of Freedom)” (2017-2018). Photo by Ines Stuart-Davidson

a larger-than-life chrome-coated bronze sculpture of an orchid on a lawn with trees and a classical building in the background

“Light into Life (Photosynthetic Form)” (2023)

a monumental bronze sculpture of a red orchid on the lawn of RBG Kew in London

“Burning Desire” (2011)

a floral cooler with two bouquets inside, each suspended inside silicone oil to preserve their freshness

“Eternal Spring (Cultural Evolution)”

a larger-than-life sculpture of an orchid inside a greenhouse, surrounded by tropical plants

“Light into Life (The Release of Oxygen)” (2023)

a bouquet of calla lilies in a simple vase, frozen solid inside of a plexiglass case

“Human Nature” (2024)

a woman stands with her back to us, viewing a larger-than-life outdoor sculpture of a tropical flower with numerous long, spiky petals

“Event Horizon (Sabal)” (2024). Photo by Ines Stuart- Davidson

a mirrored sculpture in a green landscape depicting the outline of a Himalayan Mayapple

“Our Botanic Selves, Himalayan Mayapple”

Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $5 per month. The article Marc Quinn’s Monumental Flowers Invite Us to Reflect Upon Our Evolving Relationship with Nature appeared first on Colossal.

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