azuma makoto composes + decomposes flower landscapes at exhibition in rio

japanese floral artist, azuma makoto, presents two experiments on decomposition at the ‘oi futuro’ museum in rio de janeiro, brazil. the project, opening alongside daniel arsham’s zen garden installation at the ‘oi futuro’, includes a cut flower garden on the exterior of the museum and a large installation of flowers in the interior gallery space. both elements study the decomposition of flowers at different scales.

the large scale installation was assembled in an open field outside the oi futuro museum

the cut flower garden, entitled ‘gaibu-outside’, decomposes in full view of the passerby on an open field. makoto envisioned the piece as a form of reverse agriculture as the flowers are planted ‘to die’. the symbolic work alludes to the buddhist contemplation of life and death, impermanence and material temporality.

the planted installation acts as a form of reverse agriculture

the interior element of the project, titled ‘naibu-inside’, is a large installation which allows one to follow the process of the flowers’ decomposition in detail, as they are enveloped in a large glass box. through both the cut garden and glass box, viewers can confront the death of the blooms at different scales and interactions.

the stunning composition slowly decays allowing passerby to observe the reverse lifecycle of the flowers

from the curator: ‘we learn from an early age to avoid seeing, touching and feeling the death and decomposition of any living being, and to let ourselves experience it is a rare opportunity for transcendence’. makoto’s past works have challenged the limits of nature through his floral creations, including experiments with flowers in space.

the colorful installation is open to public passerby

‘naibu-inside’, allows one to follow the process of the flowers’ decomposition in detail

makoto fills a large glass cube with colorful flowers

as the flowers decompose, the glass cube changes in appearance from the exterior

the mass of flowers slowly dissolves, revealing the death of the flowers

 the symbolic piece alludes to the buddhist contemplation of life and death