Flowering Bodies
Elizabeth Castaldo

Flowering Bodies is the first site-specific graphic installation by Elizabeth Castaldo that was exhibited at the second edition of ‘ace Nite this year. During her residency at ‘ace, she was inspired by the plant life of Buenos Aires and created drawings of flowers and leaves, representing many local plant forms including hibiscus flowers, ceibo or coral tree, crown of thorns, jacaranda, purple heart, and monstera. These drawings were used to make photolithography plates from which many multiples were hand-printed, overlapping patterns and more detailed drawings.

These prints were cut to create a figure, as well as the shapes of flowers and monstera leaves, which were then used as modular elements to create a three-dimensional installation in the mezzanine space. Her work addresses the idea of the divine in the feminine as a creative power and force of connection, represented by the suspended figure, surrounded by a garden of floral forms and patterns printed in different layers on the paper.