GROUP EXHIBITION AT FOUNDATION B.A.D IN ROTTERDAM 2020
This project is about flowers and their representations on textiles.
More specifically, their utilisation. Floral print exemplifies dressing to look pretty and “nice”. If so, are flowers seen as fake? Can they be a mask by which we entertain others with illusions of prettiness and fragility?
Beyond their overtly feminine context, (which I find to be a poor representation
of female strength), they are also specifically used in a similarly troubling way: In the area of Wielewaal in South Rotterdam, I found many small empty houses had windows that were covered up with a flower print foil. They cover up the crime.
What is more, these houses are waiting to be destroyed so that new, more prestigious (and more expensive) houses replace them. Here again, the appearance seems to be not only secondary to the reality of these derelict buildings, but also a substitute to a sustainable solution such as renovation, restoration and care.
It is also ironic when contextualising flowers in both the fashion and the flower industry. Since they are very large industries, absolutely not beautiful and largely polluting. In essence, floral prints have very little to do with nature.
Big thank you to Foundation b.a.d to give me such a warm welcome to Rotterdam