Sui Generis: Flowers

These flowers are the manifestation of my memories from travels in Spain and India, where I have seen incredible beauty in the wilderness of lakes and forests. The ‘Blue Pimpernel’ flowers caught my eye as I wandered the Tibidabo hills; they were sprawling everywhere unnoticed to the passersby, and their delicate azure hues combined with tones of red mesmerized the artist in me. Similarly, strolling the grounds of the ancient temples of Kerala, I noticed deserted ponds covered in green murky algae, dead leaves and flies hovering, but in these wastelands, I found the most beautiful blue and red lotuses standing upright in the muddy waters, like the captain of an abandoned ship. Their resilience and willingness to survive taught me much. In the barren lands of Rajasthan, where nothing grows, I found bushes covered in thorns and tiny scanty leaves, but within their spindly branches, I saw the delicate hues of blue jasmine. The heady perfume these flowers emanated and the pure beauty of their form made me feel like they were princesses of a withering castle.  It’s so ironic that these blue and red flowers grow under abysmal conditions but they maintain their dignity and grace despite the odds. So this composition is my homage to wilderness flowers-the flowers that no one notices- and I entitle it Sui Generis, which means unique and of their own kind.

This installation is a cluster of flowers; intricately detailed and multi-layered. Each flower is drilled and adhered into a metal base and suspended from the wall. Inspired by the streetside wildflowers of Spain and India. Concept- Beauty in the banal.”