One day, a flower bloomed magnificently on my windowsill, inspiring me to create a series of portraits. Its extraordinary and defiant form evoked an association with the desire to attract excessive attention—a sense of superiority. I chose special angles, filled the frame with the flower to its limits, placed it in a kind of captivity of illusions, scattered pollen like a boast, and symbolically used a mirror and shimmering foil to emphasize vanity—even the presence of a certain degree of exhibitionism.

   

    At the same time, I didn’t want the series to leave a negative impression. After all, it is only natural for a flower that blooms just once a year to take such a form. Moreover, there is a bright side to vanity—without a healthy dose of ambition, growth is impossible. I was reminded of Robert Mapplethorpe’s timeless flower portraits—far from fragile, they are powerful in their invulnerable beauty.

 

   Through this work, I tried to find a visual balance between the light and dark sides of vanity.