Rebecca Louise Law Explores Time, Survival and Community in Her Orchid Show Installation at Selby Gardens
Image: Courtesy Photo
Rebecca Louise Law lives life among the flowers. The British artist, who’s known for her expansive, ethereal hanging installations, has collected more than 2 million dried flowers over her 20-year career. With each new piece, Law, 45, adds more flowers to her compendium of petals, making her work not only sustainable, but global: each of her installations incorporates flowers from the exhibition location.
Law has created numerous large-scale pieces for museums, botanical gardens and community spaces, including the Onassis Cultural Centre in Athens, Greece; Saatchi Gallery and Kew Gardens in London; Chiesa di San Tiburzio in Parma, Italy; and the Skovgaard Museum in Denmark. In the U.S., she's exhibited at Chandran Gallery in San Francisco; the Toledo Museum of Art in Ohio; Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park in Grand Rapids, Michigan; and the Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens in Jacksonville.
Each exhibit has ties to its home base, too. For Awakening, an exhibit at the Honolulu Museum of Art, Law incorporated newly grown Hawaiian floral specimens and other found materials that reflect Hawaii’s unique ecosystem. Florilegum, Law's installation in Parma, celebrated the city's history as a hub for medicine and health care and incorporated numerous violets, the city's official flower, as well as other natural elements.
This week, Law's focus turns to orchids. Her newest installation opens at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens’ downtown Sarasota campus. The Orchid Show 2025: Rebecca Louise Law is a hand-sewn, immersive hanging piece accompanied by a display of Selby Gardens orchids and other living plants.
Law says the word that came to mind when she was creating the exhibit was “survival.” WAS THERE ANY THOUGHT OF HURRICANES IN THIS PROCESS?
“I’ve always been fascinated by the flower and its ability to evolve and attract,” she explains. “I have also been obsessed with our human relationship with the earth and our struggle to find a peaceful balance. It is all survival. The natural world is striving to survive and the physical and spiritual connection we have with nature is essential for our own survival.”
Ahead of the show’s opening on Oct. 11, we caught up with Law to learn more about her background, her career trajectory and what she hopes viewers take away from the show. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
How has nature informed your work?
“I [always] loved art and the outdoors. Creating with what I had and observing nature came naturally. I always had an appreciation for flowers, but it wasn’t until I was studying art, at age 16, that the flower became my muse.”
What was the impetus to begin making such large pieces?
“I wanted to paint in the air. I wanted the viewer to [feel like they are entering] the painting. With nature as my subject, installations had to be fully experiential and sensual. If the viewer was going to experience nature, they had to be colossal.”
You have an archive of more than 2 million preserved flowers because you keep everything from your installations. How do you choose which to use for new projects?
“Timing can be difficult, especially if I have allocated flowers in advance. Some exhibitions ask to be extended, and this can disrupt the next artwork. Sometimes I have to completely rethink an artwork if the flowers are not available. At the moment, I have four collections exhibiting, one in storage, and one stuck in customs, hopefully released this week.
“I continually grow, harvest and preserve flowers at my home, and I store flowers at my studio [in Snowdonia, Scotland]. Each new work [also] has local flowers added to the piece, so newly dried flowers are always combined with the older preserved archive. I do get overwhelmed when the artworks are planned years in advance and overlap. I am often writing out schedules and multiple-year plans.”
Your installations are individually sewn and suspended; for some, you involve the community. Why?
“Sometimes I have a team of freelancers who help me prepare the flowers for an artwork. Mostly, we open up the process of wiring flowers to the community for whom I am making the artwork. I love the artwork to be site-specific, using local flora and local hands.”
The concept of time is central to your practice. How has that changed over the course of your career?
“With patience and time, I now have an archive that can be shaped and sculpted. When I first started making these installations, I experimented with ephemeral art. I was unsure whether the material would last. I began these artworks on my own; over time, I have learned to let go and share the process of making. Each flower takes time to entwine, and I am forever grateful to the many hands who have worked with me to preserve these flowers.
“Interestingly, each person has wired the flowers slightly differently. The combination of twists and turns is completely unique. The installations carry each person’s hands and time. The exchange is powerful and beautiful. Each person’s contribution is a story; each flower is a story. The combination of time is powerful and a gift.”
What other ideas are you thinking about right now?
“I continue to develop the process of experiencing nature within art. I am fascinated by our human relationship with nature—the fragile balance. Recently, I have been looking more closely at plant reproduction, patterns in nature, and insects.”
Image: Courtesy Photo
What are you most excited about in this collaboration with Selby Gardens?
“Learning. There are so many nature experts and so much botanical knowledge. I’ve loved learning about [the gardens’] scientific research and epiphytes.
“The herbarium was the biggest attraction for me. Working alongside an institution with preservation at its heart allowed me to showcase my collection in the perfect environment.”
How long did it take to install the exhibit?
“We have been preparing and in conversation for three years. We have combined my archive with specimens from both campuses at Selby Gardens. The installation has taken two weeks to build, with help from an amazing team and local volunteers.”
What do you hope viewers take away from the show?
“A connection to nature and inspiration to value what the Earth provides.”
What are your impressions of Sarasota?
“What a beautiful place, abundant in nature. The people have been warm and generous, like the land. I’ve loved the sea. It feels so healing.”
Who inspires you?
“I love listening to Katy Hessel’s podcasts on female artists. All of those women inspire me.”
What do you love most about growing your own flowers?
“The time to connect to the earth.”
What's your favorite flower?
“I love a scented garden rose in bloom.”
The Orchid Show 2025: Rebecca Louise Law opens on Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025, at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens’ downtown Sarasota campus, and runs through Dec. 7, 2025.
