Above: Sarah Wolf, Earthly Delights, 2024. Oil and acrylic on canvas, 100 x 60 cm.
Referencing the tradition of botanical art, one needs to look a little closer to Earthly Delights by Sarah Wolf. A secret petal-camouflaged tongue emerges from a flower pod. Petals and leaves dissolve into gravity-fuelled dripping paint. This work cleverly reveals that the historical botanical art tradition bordered on surrealism; unnaturally depicting its subject matter in isolation. Wolf demonstrates that botanical art —once upheld as the last word in realism and accuracy—is ultimately painting and subject to an artist’s interpretation. The artist’s contemporary interpretation of the historical form satisfies with its sumptuous colours and hidden mysteries.
CASSANDRA HARD LAWRIE
CURATOR & VISUAL ARTS COORDINATOR, ART SPACE ON THE CONCOURSE (WILLOUGHBY CITY COUNCIL)
Combining her love of botanical illustration with Victoriana, Wolf infuses her paintings with a sense of nostalgia and whimsy. With a playful nod to popular culture, evidenced by the whimsical addition of a protruding tongue from one of the flowers, Wolf’s work serves as a bridge between the classical and the contemporary, inviting viewers to explore the intricate details of the flora and fauna that populate the canvas.
GRACE ALTY
FINE ARTS SPECIALIST AT INTERNATIONAL ART CENTRE, AUCKLAND
From an initial glance you’d be forgiven for thinking that this work is a beautiful and intricate botanical study, rich in pleasing detail, vibrant as it pops off the crisp, white background. But away from the heavenly visage of the floating butterflies above, lurks a sinister display below. A nefarious spider, a flower that, rather than unfurl a petal, reveals the tongue of a sinister serpent. The name pays homage to the eponymous garden of Hieronymous Bosch’s, and brings the suggestion that those melting plants may be facing damnation. Beware, the sin of temptation.
LUKE POTKIN
FAIR DIRECTOR, THE OTHER ART FAIR