Amy Li, 2020
Featured In FLOWERGANGProtea
During the height of the pandemic in 2020, I bought this flower at the Flower District in NYC as a way to feel a sense of normalcy. A lot of the exotic flora that can be purchased there are imported. This protea is from South Africa. When I got to 28th street, I was told that the shops were having a hard time making sales and receiving shipments from around the world. There was an abundance of flowers not being bought and withering away. While the reality was grim, the flowers made everything look so beautiful. One shop in particular gifted me a free bouquet when I bought this protea. I started thinking about the act of giving and receiving flowers as a labor of love, even if the gift itself is ephemeral in nature.
Amy Li is an artist/photographer based in Brooklyn, NY.
