More than 20 of Australia's leading floral creatives will come together for Art of Bloom, a showcase at the National Gallery of Victoria that celebrates the intersection of art and floristry. Industry veterans like Tracey Deep and Flowers Vasette will present floral displays alongside newcomers like Kayla Moon of xxflos and Alyssa Trenerry of Sour Sunflower in response to artworks within the gallery's collection. Hosted by the NGV Women's Association, all proceeds from the gala raffle and ticket sales will go towards the acquisition of art at the NGV. Ahead of Art of Bloom, which opens on May 3, RUSSH spoke with a handful of florists participating in the exhibition about their individual ethos, the flowers and foliage they're currently drawn to, and what's inspiring their practice right now.
Shahn Stewart of Alchemy Orange
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Tell me about how you entered floristry?
In 2010 I was living in Mandurah, WA, and was passionate about becoming a librarian. It wasn’t until I was rejected from the position of junior library staff that I decided to try something else, in hindsight it was one of the best things that could have happened. I switched the placement to floristry and within about 3 months was offered a full-time traineeship which I excitedly left school to pursue. I completed a two-year traineeship, mostly full of bucket washing and sweeping, this gave me my Cert 2 and 3 in floristry before moving to the city into a position as a senior florist, and then eventually all the way over to Naarm.
The beginnings of Alchemy Orange arose after years as a florist here in Naarm, I decided that I wanted to work for myself but also create something that was really different from what was offered here. It was always my intention to have a FN owned and operated floristry studio that also branched out, taking on many different creative forms, and being really community driven. I can happily say that at this point that vision has come to life, and we are so grateful and excited for all of the opportunities we have worked for and all of the people we have collaborated with.
What is the ethos behind your practice?
I think a central ethos behind our practice is doing things differently to the way you're supposed to in traditional floristry. Not only in our designs but in our understanding of what floristry is meant to achieve. Through our floral designs we try and connect back to Country, whilst also bringing the presence of Country into the viewer's eye, as a reminder of all the incredible forms of the bush. Through this we also try and use materials that won't typically be found in all florists work. This is about bringing out the beauty in the mundane and provoking thought, rather than allowing the floral piece to become background noise. It's a buzzword for sure, but sustainability is a key tenet of our creative practice. A lot of people may not know how much waste is involved in traditional floristry, not only in the resources used to grow flowers, but also the way they are packaged, shipped and displayed. We cut these out of the way we work as much as we can, because at the end of the day it really is about respecting and honouring Country rather than taking from it and not giving anything back.
How does your display respond to the works currently held in the NGV Collection?
A central idea of the piece that I've created, which is essentially a large woven sculpture, is about interconnectivity and keeping culture alive through creative practice. I'm responding to a stunning painted work by the artist Emily Kame Kngwarreye, and trying to learn from some of themes present in her work. Through the ancient practice of weaving, which has been passed down to me by Cassie Leatham, a master weaver in her own right, I'm connecting to my Koorie culture and by extension, to my old people. I'm sharing something about myself and my story.
What blooms and foliage do you find yourself currently drawn to?
Ahhh... So much. We're working a lot recently with plants in our activations not just flowers, lots of grasses and native shrubs of sorts.
One that we have been very attracted to would be the Gadi Tree or Xanthorrhoea Grass Tree. Native to Gadigal land Sydney they are so sculptural and textural. They also have a myriad of uses in Aboriginal life, providing navigational information in the bush as well as the materials to create a huge range of tools and cultural objects. They look unreal and it feels really special getting to work with them.
What’s inspiring you and your practice at this point in time?
A big source of inspiration for us is travelling around, getting out on Country ourselves and looking at the shape, texture and colour of things. For example we just spent some time up in Latji Latji Country, and the way that the landscape had these incredible pink and grey tones punctuated by heaps of scrub and mallee trees was so inspiring to watch. I feel like I'm always falling in love with a new form or picking up a new piece of knowledge from yarning with people too. Getting to do this job, see new things and talk to new people just keeps you so creatively engaged.
Alyssa Trenerry of Sour Sunflower
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Tell me about how you entered floristry?
When I first moved to Melbourne seven years ago, I was working in a cafe and loved watching the florists come in every Friday to change the flower arrangements. I’ve always had an appetite for creativity and I explored nearly every medium under the sun to satiate that. Once I realised that medium could be flowers, I enrolled to study floristry. Six years later and the love is still going strong.
What is the ethos behind your practice?
My Ethos is guided by the flowers themselves, in particular whatever is in season.
My work is very colour orientated, so that’s the first element I focus on. Next is the form of the flower, and how I can use different shapes and stems to elevate my arrangements and create points of interest. Lastly and most importantly is texture. I love combining flowers that have a smooth appearance with others that are ruffled and wild, for textural contrast.
I wish I could say there was a deeper artistic meaning behind the arrangements, but in all honesty everything I make comes to me intuitively and the creations happen organically, based on how the flowers make me feel.
How does your display respond to the works currently held in the NGV Collection?
My exhibition installation will be inspired by a piece allocated to me, by Memphis Milano Design House. I am taking inspiration from the art itself, as well as the Memphis design ethos and the impact they left on the world of art and design. I found a lot of parallels to my own work and design practice, and will be creating a Sour Sunflower x Memphis Milano love child.
What blooms and foliage do you find yourself currently drawn to?
At the moment, dahlias. They're in the peak of their season and there is a plethora of colours and varieties to play around with. I've never been a huge fan of foliage, as traditionally in floristry it is used as a filler to make arrangements look bigger and of a higher value, and doesn't add much to the design in regards to colour and textures. In saying that, at the moment I'm really enjoying working with Begonia maculata – their spotted leaves are really special and can bring a whole new layer to an arrangement.
What’s inspiring you and your practice at this point in time?
Seasonality. A lot of popular flowers are grown nearly year round, beyond their natural season due to demand, so when something comes into season once a year it’s the most thrilling feeling to see them again at a 3am market, and bittersweet when the season ends. I'm trying to focus more on using seasonal flowers, because it's what makes floristry so special to me.
Kayla Moon of xxflos
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Tell me about how you entered floristry?
I entered floristry on the back of too many late nights booking punk and psych bands at a dive bar on Smith St. I was a high school drop out and fell into the Melbourne music scene young, fast and hard. I was young, impressionable and living out of home with no other dreams than to live a life displayed in 24 Hour Party People and Factory Girl. Two years went by and my mental health suffered greatly. It was at this point I felt as though I needed to reconnect to nature and myself, I honestly felt my hands viscerally crave the feeling of dirt under nails. I called my mama (a real witch from Byron Bay) and she intuitively suggested floristry – a tafe course.
You see, I’d always been a hands on creative. Tinkering with things like journaling, a guitar, photography and watercolours. I explored different mediums but nothing stuck until I met the flowers. That’s when everything changed. I’d found the one. It was that “uh huh” moment people describe but you’re not sure if you can truly feel. Well, I did. The whole world started to look different, every tree, shrub and botanical element spoke to me within the elements and principles of design. A trajectory seemed to be completely laid out for me and I wanted to curate everything through a botanical lens. I was obsessed, it was all I wanted to do, all I wanted to be good at it. It kept me up for hours, it birthed my ambition and became my best friend. It still is to this day and you know what... I wouldn’t be here without the flowers.
What is the ethos behind your practice?
I have an intuitive practice that is dictated by mood, personal development and sculptural intention. I believe in being as true to myself as possible and so have therefore remained brutally honest about what I will and will not do. As a business that can be seen as a trade and not an art form, some clients expect you to meet their exact expectations. Which of course, is absolutely fine for florists who run their businesses like that. I think it's respectable and beautiful. However for me, I see flowers as my medium and the way I express myself so I have chosen to seek an unconventional route of running a business. I want the client to trust me and what I can do for them. It takes a lot to prove this to people, but I think I’m there now. My intention is to make people think about nature and its grotesque and abstract beauty. As a queer artist, this intuitive expression is deeply part of my own personal journey.
How does your display respond to the works currently held in the NGV Collection?
I am responding to the Carlton room divider 1981 Ettore Sottsass in a play on words concept. I have called my piece “no more division”. The room divider suggests that two spaces would be seperate, however Ettore’s piece has negative space in which you can see through which to me shows inclusion of an open plan and an honouring of available space. I then applied this to queer inclusivity as a political issue. Using the divider as a place we are currently working through for full equal liberation.
A shelf, somewhere to rest.
Leave me here to rest. Leave me here to use.
I will stay upon your shelf, resting in time. All we have is time.
Dividing the room, creating room. Resting in the division of space.
What blooms and foliage do you find yourself currently drawn to?
For me it changes all the time. At the moment I am interested in wild and line heavy botanicals like aniseed, bullrush and large branches with berries and small flowers. Line is getting me at the moment. The way a single piece can change the space in a room makes me melt inside a little.
What’s inspiring you and your practice at this point in time?
At the moment I am obsessed with scale and the blocking of species and colour. I love the idea of creating modular floral pieces that defy structural odds. I want to make things that make the audience goo “how the fuck did they do that?" I want to use the same materials on mass and create interesting shapes out of a single specimen multiplied.
Cherrie Miriklis of Flowers Vasette
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Tell me about how you entered floristry?
I have felt a love of nature, specifically floral, from a very young age, playing in my grandfather’s immense and rambling gardens in Surrey, England. To this day my favourite flowers are sweetly scented, fully blown garden roses!
What is the ethos behind your practice?
As a member of the Flowers Vasette family I follow the company ethos of creating visual, immersive beauty with extraordinary botanicals to inspire the individual’s creativity.
How does your display respond to the works currently held in the NGV Collection?
Flowers Vasette’s artwork has been conceptualised by connecting origin, history, anatomy, nature, colour, texture, tactility and emotion from the acquisition piece Stockings.
Our interpretation of Stockings is continuing to evolve over time as we dip in and out of our atelier studio, immersing ourselves in the creative process, linking a myriad of mediums of art to realise our sculpture.
What blooms and foliage do you find yourself currently drawn to?
Interesting textural and blowsy scented garden variety flowers, such as wild rambling roses, climbing sweet pea, lilac, flannel flower, gloriosa lily, oncidium orchids, rosehip… I could go on forever!
What’s inspiring you and your practice at this point in time?
I take inspiration from various forms of art and gardens, especially Vasette’s country property Beechmont and my fellow floral artists.
Art of Bloom opens at the NGV with a cocktail party on May 3 and continues until May 5. Explore ticket options at the NGV website.
