Bloom

Jenny Kitchener
‘Bloom’

Dates: Nov 7 – 21

 

“The flower is the poetry of reproduction. … ‘William Wordsworth.

As well as playing an important role in enabling the reproduction of the flowering plants, flowers have long been admired and used by humans to bring beauty to their environment, and additionally as objects of romance, ritual, remembrance, inspiration, symbolism and as a source of food and medicine.

Pollinating insects and birds inadvertently fertilize flowering plants as they forage for the sweet nectar hidden within the flower, transferring the pollen from one flower to another.

My recent work seeks to highlight the alarming decline in numbers of the pollinating insects which are essential to plant reproduction and the biodiversity of our planet. Indiscriminate use of pesticides and the encroachment of humans into areas of wilderness are two major causes of this reduction in numbers. Most places on the planet now bear some trace of human occupation at the expense of both animal and plant habitats.

The works in the exhibition Bloom celebrate both the alluring beauty of flowers, and the important symbiotic relationship between pollinators and flowering plants, in an attempt to bring attention to this disturbing decline in insect numbers.

Image: Out of kilter, linocut and collage, unique state, 53 x 35cm, 2019.