Over a two week period, artists Lo Smith & Nadia Wolff, meditated on 'exotic' bouquets of live flowers to uncover methods of responding to the prompt “how does a flower become a pattern?”. While working independently of each other, each artist used laser cut stamping and experimental printmaking techniques on cotton rag paper to explore their respective flowers. The manipulations, deconstruction, and natural decay of the flowers brought questions of liminal objects, invasive species’ roles in environmental degradation, and flowers’ relation to the cyclical nature of time. In rejecting the restraints of purely formal motivation, these works also contend with questions of how black queer bodies within institutional space inherently disrupt and finds themselves incapable of conforming to demands for objectivity. The result: Linoleum Flowers.

Opening Reception: June 1, 2018 6-10pm, Ori Gallery: 4038 N Mississippi PDX

Show duration: June 1 - 26, 2018