Flowers of New York

Flowers of New York is an experimental photography series that investigates perception as an embodied encounter between observer and environment. Rather than documenting flowers as static subjects, the photographs emerge through the interaction of body, camera, light, and wind. Each image results from a performative process in which movement becomes a way of seeing rather than simply a means of recording.

The series examines photography as an active participant in perception rather than a neutral tool for representation. Created between 2016 and 2019, it marks an early stage in my ongoing research into observation, embodiment, and the relationship between humans, technology, and the living world.

One in unity

In the realm of blossoms, the wind orchestrates a cataclysm, propelling the polem across vast distances, swaying inebriated insects on nectar’s tide. Within this floral realm, hues defy possibility, assuming contours both rounded and concave, evoking shapes that stir the senses. A hidden world resides there, ever birthing and perishing—an alien realm, so foreign to me. Yet, its allure compels my gaze, longing to absorb and be absorbed, to intertwine and linger within.

In the realm of blossoms, I unearthed a dance, a subtle choreography, barely perceptible. The wind’s intricate ballet, ceaselessly restless. And there, another dance unfolds—the sun’s watchful eye that both illuminates and blinds. To partake in their graceful movements, to undergo their cataclysmic embrace, is to metamorphose into a flower. Only then does the image materialize, transforming into corporeal form, revealing its secrets.

Field Notes at the Kew Gardens. London, UK.

Flowers of New York. New York Botanical Garden, 2017

Concept

Flowers of New York is inspired by the concept of becoming, rooted in ancient Greek philosophy and popularized by the philosopher Heraclitus of Ephesus. The collection reflects the phrase in Plato’s Cratylus: “All entities move, and nothing remains still.” This abstract garden reveals the fleeting forms of reality captured within the dynamic processes of nature.

The images in this series recreate light and wind as expressive materials. Through the contemplation of each flower, abstractions of a microcosm invisible to the human eye emerge—a universe of sensuality, where shapes, colors, and textures reveal an unexpected eroticism.

The series examines the relationship between perception and the physical world through the ephemeral presence of flowers. Rather than treating nature as a subject to be documented, it explores how sensory experience shapes our understanding of the living world.

Through these images, the series moves beyond documentation to explore deeper layers of existence. It invites contemplation of the shifting relationship between light, movement, and form, revealing aspects of the natural world that often escape ordinary perception.

By capturing moments of transformation and transience, the series reflects on a larger narrative—the continuous cycle of birth, growth, decay, and renewal that permeates all living beings. It is a visual meditation on the interconnectedness of life and an invitation to consider the dimensions of existence that lie beyond everyday perception.

Flowers of New York is an ode to the fleeting beauty and quiet wisdom of the natural world, inviting us to pause, observe, and appreciate the ephemeral moments that give our lives depth and meaning.

Project Background

Between 2004 and 2006, I worked alongside Professor Eduardo López, teaching the theoretical-practical workshop Introduction to Visual Communication at Prodiseño School of Visual Communication.

In this workshop, first-year graphic design students learned the fundamentals of visual language and explored how humans create and use visual signs and symbols to communicate and make sense of the world.

Caracas Botanical Garden, Universidad Central de Venezuela
Introduction to Visual Communication, PROdiseño, 2004

The workshop introduced students to the study of semiotics, examining how signs—including words, images, gestures, and objects—represent experiences, ideas, concepts, and messages. It also explored how these signs function across different contexts and cultures, shaping our understanding and interpretation of the world.

The workshop began with a visit to the Caracas Botanical Garden, where students were encouraged to explore nature through direct observation. They documented their experiences through photography and sketching and, based on their field notes, developed graphic systems that conveyed what they had perceived.

Exhibitions

The collection comprises three series: one photographed at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden and two at the New York Botanical Garden. During a trip to London in 2019, I completed a fourth series at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

In 2017, I participated in the annual Long Island City artists’ exhibition at Plaxall Gallery, presenting four images from the Flowers of New York series. The work was later included in additional group exhibitions in Chelsea, New York, and Stamford, Connecticut.

Flowers of New York at Plaxall Gallery, 2017
Mafe-Izaguirre-Loft-Connecticut
Flowers of New York at Loft Artists Association, Connecticut, 2017

Awards

2017 | Honorable Mention, Fine Art – Conceptual, International Photographer of the Year (United States).

Exhibitions

2017 | Making Connections, Henry DeFord Gallery, Citi Group at Citi, One Court Square, Long Island City, NY. Flowers of New York (FONY). Juror: Elizabeth Hoy. October 26, 2017 – January 30, 2018.

2017 | Visual Narratives, Loft Artists Association, Stamford, CT. Flowers of New York (FONY). Juror: Katerina Lanfranco. August 26 – September 24, 2017.

2017 | Making Connections, Plaxall Gallery, Long Island City, NY. Flowers of New York (FONY). Juror: Elizabeth Hoy. August 26 – September 24, 2017.

Tech Specs

Format: Performative photography, hyperrealism
Dimensions: 9 × 9 in; 24 × 30 in; 36 × 48 in
Medium: Digital photography; archival pigment print
Year initiated: 2016
Year completed: 2019

Series:
Flowers of New York I — Brooklyn Botanic Garden, 2016
Flowers of New York II — New York Botanical Garden, 2017
Flowers of New York III — New York Botanical Garden, 2018
Flowers of London I — Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, 2019

To create these photographs, I developed my own performative photographic technique using a Canon EOS camera. Image editing is minimal; the works are produced in-camera and are not photomontages.

© 2026 Mafe Izaguirre. All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this work or portions thereof in any form whatsoever.