NPG senior curator Serena Bentley says in In Bloom, flora is viewed as more than a background decoration; it’s central to the sitter’s story. Photo: NPG.
At the National Portrait Gallery, a new exhibition lets the flowers do the talking.
In Bloom explores a world of flora few know exists, exposing the surprisingly powerful symbolism behind what’s often considered a background decoration for the sitter.
This free exhibition, featuring more than 50 portraits from the collection, new acquisitions and selected loans, pulls into focus a language long used in art to convey significant messages.
“There’s a term for that language — floriography,” NPG Senior Curator Serena Bentley says.
“Flowers are exquisite. We respond to their beauty, and yes, you can take that at face value and enjoy them on a superficial level, but this show draws out a thematic strand that sits beneath the surface.
“At its core, the exhibition will reveal the ways this form of floral symbolism has been used to signify the identity of the sitter … Some of these flowers are quite loaded.”
It’s a show that traverses all the spectrums — time, medium, much-loved and lesser-known works from artists, established and emerging.
In portraits depicting people from diverse walks of life — musicians to socialites, actors to politicians — floriography is the through-line.
“As you move through the exhibition and your eyes open to how loaded these blooms can be, you can start to see these works and the sitter in a whole new light,” Serena says.
“It becomes kind of like train-spotting as you work out the interrelationship between the sitter and the flowers used to represent them.”
Talk about a late bloomer — this new exhibition brings centuries of portraiture into full floral flourish. Photo: NPG.
In each portrait, everything from the type of flower to the colour, the quantity, and the arrangement can attribute meaning.
According to Serena, some are surprising, while others serve to bolster widely accepted perceptions.
“There’s a portrait of (former Australian Governor-General Dame) Quentin Bryce by Michael Zavros and she is accompanied by a protea; a symbol of power and resilience,” she says.
“Others speak to the impacts of colonialism, or the queer experience.
“One we’re particularly excited to include is a brand new acquisition by Bidjara artist Dr Christian Thompson AO. He works almost exclusively in self-portraiture and flowers, particularly natives, are a significant part of his practice.”
“We see that in his new work, The Shortest Day, where flowers are used as a response to the happiness and security he feels when on Country.
“It’s part of the Flower Walls body of works, where he’s almost completely engulfed by flowers, eyes closed, and you get this sense of interiority. It was his first work after the failed Voice referendum, and you can see it’s solemn and introspective.”
In Bloom will be kept as vibrant as the blossoms themselves, with regular refreshes in the body of work.
It will also be accompanied by bespoke programming, including garland-making workshops with Sione Monū.
Visitors can make a day of it by taking advantage of the gallery’s regular programming, including the free weekly Art Break experience, which promotes the joy and transformative power of “slow looking”; monthly Portraits Together tours for people living with dementia; and daily guided tours.
In Bloom is on now until Sunday, 19 April, at the National Portrait Gallery (NPG).
