The Meaning of Flowers is a print project by Aleksandra Mir produced in Palermo, Sicily, in the summer of 2006. Drawing upon the fact that flowers are classically imbued with a specific set of semantic meanings, many of them idealistic and hopeful, Mir has edited and revised the botanical code in a more socially relevant fashion. The new meanings suggest insecurity, doubt, fatigue, betrayal and reconciliation—symptoms and elements that comprise the majority of romantic relationships. Combining both ‘high’ and ‘low’ fine-art techniques, such as that of the elegant letterpress that recalls old world civility and the pressed fruit and vegetables from local markets that hearken back to kindergarten art activities, a completely new and idiosyncratic type of botanical print is created. Rather than the traditional Victorian botanicals that passively grace the halls and sitting rooms of respectable homes, these naively colorful works carry sophisticated implications and complicated overtones. The Meaning of Flowers consists of 40 motifs on 19-by-13-inch hand-torn paper, printed in an edition of 12 with three artist’s proofs. Each set fits into a handcrafted and gold-embossed portfolio, sealed with a pink satin ribbon.

Sarah Gavlak, Palm Beach, 2006.