Naked Rose by Ishiuchi Miyako

These photographs of roses were initially intended to illustrate a study book of rose perfume. Actually, however, my photographs of roses did not suit the purpose but rather became an autonomous photographic work. Instead of the analytical perspective towards the beauty and fragrance of the rose, they present the flower as a form of life and as a body that accepts the passage of time. These roses will be cut and thrown away to promote sprouting. Such a process fascinated me as a story characteristic of flora, and made me fall in love with roses again.