The Meaning of Flowers

Drawing upon the classic notion that flowers are imbued with meanings and a specific set of semantics with idealistic and hopeful connotations, Sicily-based artist Aleksandra Mir has edited and revised the botanical code in a more socially relevant fashion. The Meaning of Flowers consists of a full color artist-designed book where each botanical print is graced by a caption suggesting new meanings: insecurity, doubt, fatigue, betrayal and reconciliation are some of the thoughts associated with the Poppies, Orchids and other Hybrid Tea Roses depicted – at the same time, they are symptoms and elements that comprise the majority of romantic relationships.
Combining both “high” and “low” fine art techniques, that of the elegant letterpress that recall old world civility and the pressed fruit and vegetables harnessed from local markets and which harkens back to kindergarten art activities, a completely new and idiosyncratic type of botanical print is created. Rather than those traditional Victorian botanicals that passively grace the halls and sitting rooms of respectable homes, these naively colorful works carry sophisticated implications and complicated overtones.