Perennial Blossom, from the series Parting Gift

This work was part of Looking 101, a 2022 exhibition that supported Northwestern University’s undergraduate curriculum with an emphasis on first-year students. The following text was made available in the exhibition via cell phone camera (QR code) and booklet:

Chicago-based artist Leonard Suryajaya uses a film camera to create largeformat photographs that often include performative elements. Perennial Blossom is the result of a collaboration between The Block, Suryajaya, and a local flower design company, Flowerchild. The photograph features 13 Northwestern undergraduates from the Block Museum Student Associate program and one Block staff member as well as the artist’s sister and mother. The idea of flowers as objects with rich and diverse cultural meanings was central to Suryajaya’s vision. In preparation for the work, Suryajaya tasked the students with thinking about their self-images by posing the following questions: How do you want to be seen? What aspects of your identity do you want to make visible or amplify? How will you communicate this through your attire, skills, and objects that are meaningful to you that you already have or can access for free? What role will flowers have to disrupt or embellish? The project culminated in a day-long photo shoot outside The Block. The resulting photograph is a layered group portrait. Through what they wear and hold, the students celebrate aspects of their identities—hobbies, talents, cultural backgrounds, religious faiths, genders, sexualities, and more.