The phrase Flower Power, has been loosely attributed to beat poet Allen Ginsberg and came to define the anti-Vietnam war protests of the period.

During the early 1960s, Andy Warhol produced montages of prison felons, for which he received less than critical acclaim. In response he created a series of iconic silk screen floral images (see below), first seen in November 1964 at the Leo Castelli Gallery in New York. It was Warhol’s first solo exhibition. A few months later, the phrase Flower Power, loosely attributed to beat poet Allen Ginsberg came to define the anti-Vietnam war protests of the period.

Since the 60s, in the face of violence and war, floral art has signified peace and harmony. More recently, Banksy’s ‘flower thrower’ whose actual title is, Love is in the Air (see back page) represents an illustration of this narrative. In this showcase, Sandra Turner-Barlow’s powerful composition, M67 provides further contemporary commentary, as does Elena Brambilla’s overt political composition, Botanical Beehive that offers botanical (floral) mitigation to institutional power. 

Interestingly, the term ‘flower power’ has been around for more than a century, typically used to capture botanical cadence and aesthetic appreciation. Carmel Van Der Hoeven’s compositions, Cascade and In Flow, very much fall into the latter category, as does Bernadette Ballantyne’s perfect pastels, while Juliet Roper’s vibrant expressionist work brings echoes of Georgia O’Keeffe’s early modernist floral works such as Red Canna, 1924