Monique Martin's dandelions pop up in unlikely spots. (courtesy of the artist)
Some people root out dandelions. But Saskatchewan artist Monique Martin has been at work making them – some 2,000 in all.
Sadly, the two exhibitions where she was to show installations of her paper dandelions, one in Vancouver and the other in Estevan, Sask., have been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. So the flowers are popping up instead on her Instagram feed, @moniquesart, channeling the symbolism of the dandelion: strength, resilience and perseverance.
Martin's work asks viewers to consider dandelions, but also, by extension, other people they may judge and dismiss.
"Weeds can be beautiful, can be a source of nutritional value, and possibly even have medicinal properties," she says. "What makes a weed a weed and not a flower? When is one preferred over the other? ... What is considered a weed is a flower in another context." ■
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