Mr. Flower Fantastic has worked with some big names and brands: Serena Williams, Michael Jordan, Spike Lee, Nike, Louis Vuitton, Netflix.
Recently, when the Chicago Bulls retired point guard Derrick Rose's jersey number, Mr. Flower Fantastic covered an outdoor basketball court in a portrait made of roses and carnations.
"It took thousands of flowers to pull this off — in the middle of winter. In Chicago," the artist said, laughing. "It was really special."
Hundreds of people lined up in the cold to see it.
The floral artist — who says he often goes by "MFF" or "Flower" — stays anonymous because he wants the focus to be on his work. Usually when he's out in public, he wears a gas mask and gloves, which both hide his identity and protect his health (ironically, he's allergic to flowers).
But today, showing a reporter around the New York Botanical Garden's conservatory to see his new show, there's no mask — no gloves — just a warm handshake and a warmer smile.
He's a lifelong New Yorker, so when the botanical garden approached him about collaborating on their annual orchid show, he saw it as an opportunity to peek out from behind his secret identity and invite the public to view the city the way he does, finding beauty in the ordinary, everyday structures we often take for granted.
What kind of structures? Well — take the maligned dumpster. Here in the many-roomed garden conservatory, it's painted matte black and bursting with white moth orchids and English ivy.
Or the manhole cover, framed with gentle arcs of purple and yellow moth orchids, yellow slipper orchids and pink and white Dancing Lady orchids.
And, more spectacularly, the car wash, which here has a taxi driving through that's made of synthetic and real carnations.
"My favorite flower — a lot of people don't know this — is a carnation," Mr. Flower Fantastic said. "Oftentimes, it gets overlooked. It's quite common, but it's capable of extraordinary things with a bit of creativity."
In his mother's garden
Mr. Flower Fantastic says he learned to love flowers at his mother's side in her garden in Jamaica, Queens, and during their visits to the more tropical country of Jamaica, where they have family.
"She's the one that shared the gift of gardening with me. We did have a garden in our yard and it was beautiful. Not only was the garden beautiful, but just the time spent together was beautiful and important and nurturing, all of those things that go into creating a garden. Time, patience, love, care. Those were values that were put into me at an early age through her."
His mother comes to see the show every day, he said.
From graffiti to gardens
Mr. Flower Fantastic is a former graffiti artist — one of his tags is re-created in the show, in flowers. When he first started working with flowers, he'd sometimes leave his designs on the streets, as gifts for others, leaving clues to their location for his followers on Instagram.
He said he never meant for them to be part of his professional work. The garden was a place for family, for calm, for peace.
But as he got older, he said, "You start to think about what you're doing with the time that you have. And, you know, for many people that have kids, that's amazing because that's proof that you existed. But for some people who don't — what other good can they put into the world? This is my way of kind of saying that I was here."
In 2018, Serena Williams' agent reached out to him to ask if he would create a large-scale sneaker in flowers to celebrate the launch of her Nike "Queen" Air Max 97. He collaborated with fashion designer Virgil Abloh, which informed the way he approached his art, he said.
"He would do a deep dive on everything and anything, really moving the needle in a beautiful way. He was a giver."
Mr. Flower Fantastic presented the sculpture to Williams at the U.S. Open. After that, his career exploded.
At the New York Botanical Garden
Now, Mr. Flower Fantastic's studio is on a 10-acre property north of Manhattan, where he and his team create installations for brands and people around the globe. He's interested in sculpture, in photography, in film and set design. He wanted the show, called The Orchid Show: Mr. Flower Fantastic's Concrete Jungle, to feel immersive, like a film set, so the installations are life-sized. To produce it, about 85 people were involved, with the majority from the NYBG.
"It's a beautiful way to introduce myself authentically. When people come to this show, they are coming through a portal, a time capsule, if you will. A lot of the stops along the way are moments in my life that I believe my creativity really flourished and bloomed," he said. But he added that the place is empty without the people who bring it life. "When you're here, you're family. We're experiencing this show together."
One Wednesday, before the garden opened to the public, he strolled through the show — without his mask but wearing tinted glasses that obscured his eyes — greeting workers who were doing last-minute grooming and watering. He pointed out details, like how the water surrounding a replica of a New York brownstone residential building is dyed black, to better reflect the orchids' explosion of color, and how the "Orchid Toppings" on the pizza shop sign reflected actual edible orchids — including vanilla seeds, which are the basis for natural vanilla flavoring. (It also mentions, however, that some orchids are protected species, and others are toxic).
He's proud of the show, he said, grateful for his career, honored that he's been able to work with wonderful people.
"I'm about celebrating moments, and flowers help me to do that, right? They show up in moments of celebration. They show up in moments where comfort is needed." Mr. Flower Fantastic said working with flowers in the way he does "has been about the opportunity to be trusted — by the universe, by God, by Mother Nature ... it is an amazing responsibility and incredible honor. And I couldn't think of anything else that would give me so much joy."
Mr. Flower Fantastic's Concrete Jungle is at the New York Botanical Garden in New York City through April 26.
Ciera Crawford edited this story for air and web.
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