Floralies
by Vico Fabbris
April 2nd – May 2nd, 2010
The exhibition continues the artist’s exploration of fantasy botanicals. In an era where environmental concerns are paramount, Vico Fabbris is especially attuned to the loss of nature and it’s delicate species – flowers. He attempts to replace the lost habitat with botanical “flights of fantasy”. In so doing, he delights the eye by creating the “almost real” as well as the satirical and absurd. Whether engaged by an imagined context, by a supporting story, or alone in mid-air suspension, his artwork is exuberant and a celebration of the inventive mind.
FLORALIES presents us new species of plant life with an artist created latin genus for each. Inferences of historical antecedents are implied in the watercolors and work-on-paper reminding us that discoveries of exotic flora and fauna were delighting nobility and informing scientific inquiry during the centuries of continental exploration. As if drawing his sources from the medieval through the baroque to the present, Vico Fabbris creates his botanical world with attention to detail and the flourish of the brush. His work exemplifies the loss of our natural habitat by engaging us with the pleasure of his fancy.