Bad flowers: exhibition reveals the shadows of the big city art

Bad flowers: exhibition reveals the shadows of the big city art

in Berlin opens the exhibition "Evil Flowers", which researches the connection between the famous collection of poems "Les Fleurs du Mal" by Charles Baudelaire and modern art. With 120 impressive works that were created between 1880 and today, the Scharf-Gerstenberg collection offers an imaginative journey through topics such as intoxication, beauty, sex and decay that also occur in Baudelair's work. According to Marlene Giesecke from BZ Berlin, the exhibition crosses the limits of classic understanding of art and stimulates deep reflections on human emotions and social conditions.

insights in Baudelaire's world

The curator Kyllikki Zacharias explains that the exhibition is thematically divided according to the chapters of Baudelaire's volume of poems. It is also pointed out that "Les Fleurs du Mal" triggered a large scandal when it was published in 1857 - he was even the subject of a legal procedure for vulgar content. Special exhibits are the installation "Harvest of Time" by Fatoş İrwen, which works with the hair of Turkish prison inmates, and Ulf Soltaus collection "Gardens of horror", which captures the bleak aspects of modern gardens. These works let visitors immerse themselves in the emotionality and complexity of Baudelaire's topics.

In addition, the new translation of "Les Fleurs du Mal", on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the Death of Baudelaires, analyzes the central motif of the poems: the dark abysses of human being, which lead to the development of modern consciousness. These “flowers of evil” are more than just a moral assessment, they represent a relentless examination of the demonic, which is anchored in every existential experience. The exhibition runs until May 4, 2025 and takes visitors on an exciting artistic journey of discovery through time - from classic inspirations to contemporary interpretations. Information is on the website of the BZ Berlin as well as jpc to be found.