FLORAE is inspired by Japanese Ikebana and Zen art. I’ve drawn on the Ikebana concept of minimalism, and using a found form instead of one that was humanly created. In Ikebana, the flower arrangements express an aesthetic balance, where, importantly, the empty space surrounding the subject gives body to the subject: silence speaks louder, emptiness ‘full-fills’. Also, I am particularly intrigued by the Zen concept of finding perfection in imperfection.

The aspiration of Ikebana artists is for their floral arrangements to reflect Nature. In this FLORAE series, I ask the question: What if Nature itself were the creator of the arrangement… what would that ‘Ikebana’ arrangement look like?

All these photographs were captured in-situ, i.e., in their natural environment, against the sky which was then removed in post-production.

(To be sure, this series was inspired by Ikebana, and is not a literal attempt at Ikebana.)