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Following our recent visit to Soil: The Earth Beneath Our Feet at Somerset House, we were captivated by another exhibition celebrating the natural world – Flowers: Flora in Contemporary Art and Culture at Saatchi Gallery. With over 500 artworks, objects, and installations across nine rooms, it really was a true celebration of flora in contemporary creativity.

As a team blending science and innovation within floristry, we were reminded of the profound role flowers play – not just in nature, but in art, fashion and design. This exhibition explored flowers beyond aesthetics, showcasing their cultural, symbolic and scientific significance.

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The exhibition was divided into sections, each offering a fresh theme. Roots lay the foundations, showing that our fascination with flowers is centuries old. Rare works from the William Morris Museum highlighted his belief that floral beauty should be enjoyed by all, not just the privileged.

In Flowers and Fashion, we saw how blooms has inspired haute couture. Designs from Vivienne Westwood and Manolo Blahnik showcased how flowers could transform - from rebellious symbols to timeless glamour. Contemporary and emerging designers demonstrated how flowers are an enduring influence in textiles and design.

One of the most striking elements of the exhibition was the diversity of exhibits that highlighted the multifaceted role of flowers in contemporary art. Artists brought flowers to life in every medium imaginable - photography, sculpture, digital art, and installations. The Science: Life & Death offered a different and certainly fascinating approach, exploring how flowers symbolise both vitality and decay. Engineer and kinetic artist William Darrell created a bold floral machine that cleverly conveyed the magic of flowers with entrancing mechanics - a real showstopper that made many stop in their tracks and indeed become hypnotised by flowers!

The exhibition also questioned our perception of flowers. Almudena Romero’s work explores the intelligence of plants and their role in art-making. Using UV-printed photographs on glass and acrylic plates infused with plant-based iridescent cellulose, she challenges anthropocentric views by highlighting the agency of plants in the creative process. Her work suggests that plants are not just passive subjects but active participants in image-making, blurring the lines between nature, science, and art.

The awe-inspiring central installation in Room 5 transforms the space into a breathtaking sanctuary. Suspended above and around you, over 100,000 dried flowers form a delicate, immersive canopy, drawing you into LA FLEUR MORTE, a mesmerising installation by internationally renowned artist Rebecca Louise Law.

As you stand beneath the sculpture, surrounded by petals and stems that once thrived in gardens and fields across the world, a quiet reverence fills the space. These flowers—collected over two decades from the commercial floral industry, personal donations, and Law’s own gardens—serve as a poignant reflection on our relationship with nature. They remind us of how we consume, discard, and long for beauty, even as it fades.

La Fleur Morte is more than just an artwork—it is an invitation to pause, look up, and reflect. Whether standing in silent contemplation or weaving through the cascading blooms, La Fleur Morte offers a rare opportunity to step into a world where nature is both celebrated and questioned, and where each flower, with the lightest touch, connects to something far greater than itself.

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The Flowers: Flora in Contemporary Art and Culture exhibition at Saatchi was more than a visual feast – it was a compelling reflection on the intersection of art, science and nature. Flowers continue to inspire and challenge, and for Phoam Labs, the exhibition reinforced the importance of innovation in the floral industry. Every petal, stem and bloom is an opportunity to rethink how we engage with flowers – not just as fleeting decorations, but as integral elements of a more thoughtful, sustainable future.

Flowers: Flora In Contemporary Art & Culture at The Saatchi Gallery is on until 2 May.

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