MY FRIENDS

“Art does not reproduce the visible; rather, it makes visible.” –Paul Klee In the art world, there is a clique that believes identity relates to race, sexual orientation etc. Is it mind-set? What else defines identity? Is identity paradox? I decided to pick a different approach. In this project, I examine the relationship between identity and flowers. Flowers serve as symbol for mind and spirit revealing one’s identity in this imperfect world. I ask friends to bring flowers of their choice. I promise them to create still life. Neither I have influence on their choice of flower nor they have influence on the still life. I want to see and document how people’s flower choices show their identity. Each photograph is titled as the person who brought the flowers. These images are highly conceptual portraits of my friends. Asking them to reveal their identity in a very unusual way seemed presumptuous. I decided to give them one edition of their photographs. Giving back one print is the most conceptual element of this project. By gifting one photograph, I initially borrow the flowers and I return their flowers in a totally different form. At the end, flowers die, but friendship becomes eternal with photographs.