WE ARE ALL FLOWERS IN ONE GARDEN

https://jonathan-baldock.com/we-are-flowers-of-one-garden-2023/

https://www.stephenfriedman.com/exhibitions/170-jonathan-baldock-we-are-flowers-of-one-garden/

In this exhibition, Baldock presents a series of semi-monstrous flowers and ceramic pots that explore his relationship with his mother and his familial connections to the earth. He also explores the idea of nature transcending class with working-class gardens commonly being a great source of pride. The transcendence of nature not only through class but life itself is something that I would like to explore in my project. I also appreciate the melding of human and plant forms in a surrealist and almost trippy way as this ties in nicely with my project theme.

The show is saturated in color, humor, and little details that all translate into a rich and wide-ranging set of emotions from bliss to sensuality and melancholy. The use of cast body parts especially faces, and how they are situated within the pieces massively aids the emotion in this work suggesting themes of death and rebirth like the human parts are being consumed and transformed by the more plant-like parts of the piece.

I also quite enjoy the material aspect of the exhibition with the two main materials being employed being plant-based textiles and ceramics (dirt). The combination of plant and earth again supports the idea of a cycle with the two elements supporting each other in nature and in art.

From this exhibition, I have gained a visual starting point for my project in melding the human and the natural. I would also like to incorporate natural materials into my project as I believe it has greatly aided the authenticity of this exhibition. Having an interest in pottery and ceramics I was also exposed to another side of the metaphorical significance of clay that I had not previously considered. I will use the images from this exhibition in collages to extract shapes and moods and will experiment with clay and natural materials. I may also look into natural dye for my final outcome.

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