Intrigued by the artistic phenomenon of ‘f lower paintings’, Meeuws utilises digital photography in a 21st century context, to create contemporary flower pieces in the way of modern Dutch masters like Ambrosius Bosschaert, Jan Brueghel, Jacob Marrel and Jacques de Gheyn: f lower by flower, layer by layer.

“The bouquets in the paintings were impossible constructions of flowers from different seasons. I want to pursue this element of the genre. It gives you the opportunity to work outside of time, to make time stand still. The comfort of photography, that’s how I like to see my still lifes,” explains Meeuws. Each flower is individually photographed to build a digital ‘flower library’ from which Meeuws selects a combination of flowers and foliage to create a unique arrangement. He adds: “I try to summon up the feelings in myself that the people looking at the picture then would have had. The awe that they must have felt for all the expensive and exotic flowers together.”

A culmination of this awe, can be seen in the rage for the tulip or the tulipomania that gripped the Netherlands in the 17th century, resulting in the establishment of tulip brokerages, wild speculation, and ending with the crash of the bulb commodity market. The Tulpenboeken produced at the time, were illustrated albums of tulip varieties that served as sales catalogues for growers and dealers, as well as records for collectors. Meeuws’ Tulips series – a selection of which forms part of this exhibition – directly references this history, with each photograph featuring a single tulip suspended as in one of the Tulpenboeken’s botanical illustrations; neither supported in a vase nor anchored by a bulb.

Spring in the Wintertime, in collaboration with Tasveer Art Gallery, 2018 | Press Release.