The Most Beautiful Flowers

This photo series is Kenji Toma's homage to the botanical illustrations in Choix Des Plus Belles Fleurs by Pierre-Joseph Redouté, one of the most well-regarded flower encyclopedias of the nineteenth century. Back when color photography did not exist, these images were illustrated with the purpose of replicating the botanic subject as realistically as possible. Toma is interested in doing the exact opposite with the photographic medium which, realistic by nature, can also be used to make a subject look unreal and artificial. The result is a highly contemporary and fascinating revival of the concept of the botanical encyclopedia.