John. B. Aird Gallery is delighted to invite you to our
GAY GARDENS
Online Exhibition/Art Book
Curated by: PATRICK DE COSTE
Juried: JOWENNE HERRERA & PATRICK DE COSTE
On view: June 26 to July 17 2020
GAY GARDENS
CAN A GARDEN BE GAY ? CAN A FLOWER BE LESBIAN ? CAN A TREE BE LGBTQ2IPA ?
Gay Gardens is curated by Patrick DeCoste. The project's inspiration comes from Carl Linnaeus, a Swedish scientist, who published Systema Naturae in 1735. The book describes his method of naming and classifying plants based on their sexual organs and sexual actions. Society was shocked and embarrassed by the botanical orgies happening in their back yards. A woman has sex with six different men, in the lily flower’s arrangement of pistils and stamens. The virtuous canna is monogamous with one husband and one wife. Ferns and mosses keep their sex organs hidden and their marriages too.
Our jury of Gay Garden experts, Jowenne Herrera and Patrick DeCoste, selected works from various mediums and subjects to be a part of our online garden exhibition/publication. While viewing our Gay Gardens artbook, we highly recommend listening to DeCoste's Gay Gardens soundtrack, “I Beg Your Pardon, I Never Promised You A Rose Garden” by Lynn Anderson.
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