Nothing Still About Still Lifes

In 2023, the Deji Art Museum in Nanjing opened a striking new chapter in its long-running World of Flowers exhibition series with Nothing Still About Still Lifes: Three Centuries of Floral Compositions. Curated by Joachim Pissarro, this ambitious exhibition challenges traditional notions of still life, framing floral compositions not as static images, but as dynamic reflections of cultural, historical, and ecological change.

Organized into four themed sections—Cross-Pollination, Avant-Gardening, Meta-Flowers, and Breakout Blooms—the exhibition explores the role of flowers as symbols, biological phenomena, and vehicles for artistic experimentation.


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It draws attention to the often-overlooked movement embedded in botanical life: growth, reproduction, circulation and change over time. Archival materials and historic works by early Chinese artists abroad further highlight the transnational currents of modern art and its evolving relationship with nature. This is not merely a celebration of floral beauty but a thoughtful examination of the still life as a site of cultural convergence and artistic innovation.


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With Nothing Still About Still Lifes, the Deji Art Museum has crafted a timely and visually stunning reappraisal of the floral still life, grounded in history and responsive to the present concerns.