Flora Imaginaria Opens July 16 at Selby Gardens

July 15, 2022 – Sarasota

Flora Imaginaria: The Flower in Contemporary Photography opens Saturday, July 16, at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens’ Downtown Sarasota campus. The indoor/outdoor exhibition, co-organized with the Foundation for the Exhibition of Photography (FEP), features more than 70 images created by 49 internationally acclaimed photographers. The show remains on view daily through September 25.

“We are excited to continue ‘The Year of Photography’ at Selby Gardens with another world premiere of contemporary art in dialogue with nature at our Downtown Sarasota campus,” said Jennifer O. Rominiecki, president and CEO of Selby Gardens. “The Foundation for the Exhibition of Photography has been a wonderful partner in conceiving a visually stunning, artistically significant show. This innovative approach to displaying large-format prints both inside our Museum and outside in the Gardens exemplifies Selby Gardens’ model as The Living Museum.®”

Flora Imaginaria includes a total of 72 photographs produced over the past three decades. Works by celebrated artists such as Pedro Almodóvar, Valérie Belin, Daniel Gordon, Abelardo Morell, Vik Muniz, Viviane Sassen, and Martin Schoeller appear alongside compelling photographs by emerging artists. The photos may depict flowers found in the landscape or even the cityscape, or they may have been taken in studios in an effort to conjure original approaches. Some honor art history, while others take a gleefully subversive approach. “This colorful, wide-ranging overview pays homage to the flower’s perennial attraction and reminds us of the flower’s extraordinary endurance as an inspiring subject in art,” said FEP’s William A. Ewing, who co-curated the show with Danaé Panchaud. “Taken together, these photographs present a sumptuous bouquet in the exceptional setting of Marie Selby Botanical Gardens.”

Following its debut at Selby Gardens, Flora Imaginaria will travel to other venues in the U.S. and beyond. The show also follows a similarly themed exhibition of 30 years ago—Flora Photographica—which was first shown in London’s Serpentine Gallery and subsequently traveled to New York, Toronto, and elsewhere. FEP curator Ewing wrote the catalogue for that original exhibition.

Access to Flora Imaginaria is included with general admission to Selby Gardens’ Downtown Sarasota campus. For more information and to purchase tickets, go online to www.selby.org/visit.