In the rose garden
The name-tagged roses wrapped for winter in Vienna’s “Volksgarten” inspired Flora Zimmeter’s series “In the rose garden”. The names of the roses reflect the values, wishes and tastes of those who named them and the projections conjured up by the flower’s petals, scent and color.

The historic religious and profane symbolism of the roses consciously and unconsciously resonates in the beholder. A central theme is the contrast between tender beauty and thorny defense.
Another aspect is that these roses have not adapted to our climate and so they need to be wrapped in paper and burlap every winter. During the cold months, visitors only see coarse, rough coffee sacks from exotic parts of the earth instead of soft, fragrant petals. The statuesque winter-wrapped rosebushes are reminiscent of guards or memorials.

Ace of hearts I- IX
This series of screen prints is based on snapshots of couples sitting on benches in the rose garden in Vienna’s “Volksgarten”. As the photos were taken of strangers at random points in time we have no way of knowing whether or not the pictures are in any way representative of their relationship. The artist printed the heart-shaped photos of the couples onto little flags made out of rose-patterned bed linen, thus alluding to both the intimate and the public sphere in which lovers interact. A heart and a rose – the epitome of love symbols. In combination with the couples, they question personal and social expectations of relationships. On the back of each flag, a randomly chosen rose name encourages even more speculation about the relationship in question.