Beyond inviting viewers to wander through them and discover their diverse forms, colors, and textures, Rebecca Louise Law‘s immersive flower installations evoke themes of consumerism, sustainability, and the passage of time.
“I use flowers as my paint,” says Law. “They hold a fragility, a story, a life. They are designed to attract, and they are constantly evolving.”
Made up of hundreds of preserved flowers that stretch from corner to corner across a room’s ceiling or hang down from above like curtains, Law’s creations have been showcased at landmarks all over the world. This fall, her newest works are part of the Orchid Show (through December 7) at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens’ downtown campus as part of the exhibition Survival. The presentation’s theme directly correlates to the Selby, its collections, and its sustainability efforts.
“The Selby has taken my breath away,” says Law. “When I saw the dedication of its botanists, the fact that certain plants in its living collection are the only specimens left in the world, how both of the campuses have been hit by hurricanes and come back—past, present, and future, it all felt like survival.”
Law’s exhibition is site-specific to the Selby’s Display Conservatory and includes plants and flowers from the onsite gardens such as orchids, bromeliads, palms, and moss. The rest (one million plus) will come from Law’s archives, which include more than two million specimens (some as old as 20 years) that are stored in temperature-controlled environments in the U.S., Wales in the United Kingdom, and various other cities throughout Europe.
After her Sarasota debut, Law’s team will pack up the blooms and get them ready for a Germany exhibition in April 2026, the artist’s largest installation yet. Which begs the question: After 20 years of petals and string, does she ever lack inspiration? “Never, because there are endless species of flowers to explore,” she says. “I will never know enough.”
Story Credits:
Text by Florian Jouin
Florilegium photo by Ottn Projects; Banquet photo by Julien Mota; Rebecca Louise Law photo by Matthew Chung; All photos courtesy of artist
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