ANTHOLOGIA

sTo Len

APRIL 2024 - SEPTEMBER 2024

ANTHOLOGIA (ἀνθολογία or flower-gathering) is a durational exhibition by sTo Len that will grow over the course of 6 months and respond to the seasonal transformations occurring while he is embedded in the Queens Botanical Garden as an Artist In Residence. Len’s process of “gathering flowers” begins by spending time on the 39 acre site and learning from both the plants and the staff who care for them. Inspired by a class he attended in the Education Department, Len is working on a series of photographic prints called anthotypes that are created with photosensitive pigments extracted from plants and flowers in the garden as they come into bloom. Using both the QBG historical archive and his own photographs, Len’s images provide an intimate portrait of the garden that focuses equally on the employees and volunteers as well as the larger events throughout its history. This non-linear timeline is awash in chlorophyll soaked papers, degenerated photocopies, and other types of imperfect imprints that mirror the ephemeral quality inherent in nature as well as the distortion of our collective memory. New works will continually be added as others may decay and fade away, culminating with a closing public reception on September 22nd that coincides with the Autumnal Equinox.