Rebecca Louise Law: The Womb

REBECCA LOUISE LAW: THE WOMB

Friday, September 20, 2019—Sunday, March 1, 2020

I like to capture and treasure small, beautiful natural objects to create an artwork that can be observed without the pressure of time. Preserving, treasuring, celebrating and sharing the beauty of the Earth with the world is what drives me.

—Rebecca Louise Law

British artist Rebecca Louise Law has always been fascinated by the natural world. The daughter of the head gardener of one of England’s National Trust properties, she grew up in a thatched cottage, playing in her family’s nursery garden and learning how to press flowers into paintings with her grandmother. Law’s passion for flora continued through art school. After graduation, she worked for several florists and dreamt of creating art that captured and commemorated the beauty of nature beyond a short-lived bouquet. Her technique of hanging flowers in a manner that allows them to be preserved is now celebrated around the world.

As an installation artist, Law is recognized internationally for her colossal floral workssculpted using her signature copper wire. Ever passionate about natural change, she works with fresh and dry flora, allowing it to change organically in shape, form and color over time. The process is an exquisite evolution that invites viewers to witness an alternative concept of beauty. We’re honored to have that opportunity with the upcoming exhibition Rebecca Louise Law: The Womb.

Designed exclusively for Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park, this landmark exhibition is an intimate exploration into the relationship between humankind and nature. Dramatic and thought-provoking, it’s an immersive fantasy that emulates the sensation of being enveloped in nature’s cocoon. An incredible one million flowers and plants from Law’s existing collection will be wired by hand—and 10,000 more will be gathered from our gardens and installed, with the help of Meijer Gardens staff and volunteers.

Suspended from the ceiling in undulating vines that paint the air with color, this visual spectacle will excite all the senses. Surrounding the main gallery will be never-beforeseen ceramic sculpture and painted works by the artist. Becoming part of this massive installation requires focus and intention along the defined path leading up to The Womb. The artist asks viewers to be present in the moment, without the lens of technology, by reserving picture-taking for a designated area in the gallery only.

In addition to her renowned exhibitions, Law creates smaller-scale sculptures based on the womb in glass and clay, along with paintings. Her noteworthy larger-scale commissions include The Beauty of Decay at The Chandran Gallery in San Francisco, Life in Death at The Shirley Sherwood Gallery in London and The Grecian Goddess at The Onassis Cultural Centre in Athens. Her prolific career is also the subject of Life in Death, a 2017 book published by the Royal Botanic Gardens.

The evening before the exhibition opens, Law will give an exclusive, members-only lecture that offers an insightful look into her artistry and the creation of The Womb. Don’t miss it.

Still Life, 2016.

Photo courtesy of Broadway Gallery, Letchworth