The flower as form, matter, and symbol, but also as an ambiguous, obscure, and potentially destructive element. This is the starting point for *I fiori del male*(The Flowers of Evil), a project dedicated to the work of Chiara Camoni, presented by Società delle Api at its space at Via Gregoriana 40 in Rome from October 9, 2026, to January 26, 2027. The exhibition is curated by Alice Motard and draws on a core group of works from the collection of Silvia Fiorucci, who has followed the artist’s work since her early days. This is the second exhibition organized at Società delle Api’s Rome venue since it opened to the public in February 2026.
The project focuses on one of the recurring elements in Camoni’s practice—the flower—considered not only in its dimension traditionally associated with life, delicacy, and beauty, but also in its less serene manifestations. The exhibition thus explores what happens when the flower is stripped of its interpretation as a shared symbol and observed in its chthonic, cryptic, destructive, artificial, and spiritual aspects.
The intent is not to deny the positive dimension that characterizes the artist’s work—linked to her relationship with nature, manual processes, and collective creation—but rather to complicate its interpretation by bringing to light areas of shadow and aspects that lie beyond the frame. The explicit reference is to Charles Baudelaire’s *Les Fleurs du Mal* and, in particular, to a conception of beauty permeated by the sordid, desire, and violence—by that which is habitually repressed, concealed, or kept at a distance. A conception that Baudelaire summarizes in the idea that beauty is “always bizarre.”
The exhibition brings together a selection of works by Chiara Camoni alongside new, site-specific pieces. The exhibition opens with two pencil drawings depicting lilies—flowers also known for their toxic properties—which are part of a larger series the artist created during the pandemic. During the first lockdown, Camoni sent an image of one of the drawings every day to a circle of friends, including Silvia Fiorucci herself.
As the series of drawings unfolds, the flower gradually loses its original form and takes on different guises: lascivious bodies, sexual organs, animals, faces, and other mimetic forms. This transformation produces almost hallucinatory images that evoke the “sick” flowers in Baudelaire’s poetry. Starting from this core, the various galleries explore other manifestations of the subversive power associated with the floral motif: the flower can become poison, language, a jewel, a threat, or an apparition. Baudelaire’s verses punctuate the exhibition itinerary and accompany the works, helping to guide their interpretation.
Camoni’s selection of works is complemented by pieces by Fantine Andrès, Maria Loboda, Marianne Marić, Vibeke Mascini, Lionel Sabatté, Adrianna Wallis, and Yuyan Wang. The inclusion of these other artists is intended to provide a series of counterpoints to Camoni’s works, with the aim of broadening and emphasizing the issues raised by the project. This openness to other voices is also consistent with an approach inherent in the artist’s practice, which embraces forms of collaboration and dialogue.
The works are situated within the historic spaces at Via Gregoriana 40, interacting with the building’s architectural and decorative elements. The exhibition route thus features the Renaissance grotesques adorning the vaulted compartments, the coffered ceilings, the inlays in the parquet floors, and the marble elements. The dialogue between the artworks and the space thus connects the plant, animal, and architectural dimensions, contributing to an interpretation of Camoni’s work built on ambiguity and the coexistence of different elements, without a clear opposition between positive and negative. On the occasion of the opening, CircoTornio—a performance project created by Camoni together with his collaborators at the Centro di Sperimentazione—will also be presented. The initiative invites the public to work simultaneously at the potter’s wheel, transforming the practice of ceramics into a collective and shared process, open to continuous evolution.
The exhibition will also be accompanied by three events as part of the Public Program. Through various formats, these sessions will explore the themes developed in the exhibition, connecting artistic practices, research, materials, and forms of collective imagination.
*I fiori del male* will be on view at Società delle Api, located at Via Gregoriana 40 in Rome, from October 9, 2026, to January 26, 2027. The press preview is scheduled for Friday, October 9, at 10:30 a.m., while the opening will take place the same day from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. The project is realized with the support of San Leonardo.
 |
| Chiara Camoni, *The Flowers of Evil*: The Dark Side of Flowers in Rome |
Warning: the translation into English of the original Italian article was created using automatic tools. We undertake to review all articles, but we do not guarantee the total absence of inaccuracies in the translation due to the program. You can find the original by clicking on the ITA button. If you find any mistake,please contact us.
IT
FR
DE
ES
CN
