“Palastblühen,” or “Palast in Bloom,” is an annual celebration hosted at the Kunstpalast Museum in Düsseldorf, Germany. Welcoming the arrival of spring, the event blends art with floral design in imaginative ways. Local florists create elaborate floral installations inspired by selected artworks or curated spaces within the museum, giving visitors a renewed and immersive experience of the collection. The result is a lively conversation between nature and art, reimagining familiar galleries as blooming showcases of creativity.
During this year’s edition, German based floral artist and Creative Director of the Association of German Florists (FDF), Manfred Hoffmann created a majestic bowl of Porta Nova Red Naomi Roses as part of his installation. The piece, was titled ‘The Eternal Struggle for Power’ under the theme: Crown and Church.
“I considered it an honour to have the chance to showcase my work at the Kunstpalast. It was certainly a challenge to design something for/in a curated space. I had consciously decided to only work on the overall context of each of my three rooms – rooms that no other floral designer wanted. The exhibition “Palace Blooms” was a fascinating experience from the moment it opened. The visitors’ reaction to the pieces… incredible. Almost 35,000 visitors in 10 days, and the follow-up in my shop… the pieces have been on display in my shop since the Kunstpalast was dismantled. So many interested people still come to see the three pieces. That’s really special.”
The External Struggle for Power
Under the overall theme of Crown and Church, The External Struggle for Power was a blend of anthuriums and Porta Nova Red Naomi roses paying homage to the theatrical displays of power from centuries past. The piece symbolizes the contrast between church and kingdom.
Did the museum setting influence your creative process?
Absolutely… a curated space that tells a story triggers countless thoughts. Creating a new work from this is an exciting process. Organizing the thoughts so that an image emerges in your mind takes time. So many aspects, such as colour, technique, theme, durability, room temperature, light, and many more, have to be brought into harmony.
What story or emotion were you hoping to convey through the Eternal Struggle for Power design with Porta Nova roses?
The “Crown and Church” room is about the eternal struggle for power between these two: nobility and church. The purple/red is presented on the pillar by Red Naomi. Magnificent, monolithic, she needs only herself, she stands in the light. She is absolute.
The violet represents the church. It is interwoven with many details such as brocade, silk, eucalyptus, proteas, beech leaves, and much more. This part of the work represents the diversity of a society. Yet it stands in the background of the crown. This room is even more special because it is the “Jan Wellem Room.”
One of the museum’s most valuable paintings hangs there, with his image. Jan Wellem was one of the most powerful princes in Europe. Married to Maria di Medici, they together amassed one of the most important art collections of their time. Under pressure from the public and the church, they brought them together in one building, opened it to the public, and thus created the world’s first art museum. Today, this magnificent collection forms the foundation of the Alte Pinakothek Munich by inheritance.
Take us through the process of creating the design?
After I had decided on my rooms, organized my thoughts, and created material lists, I started organizing the materials and the floral materials. The loom had to be built. I prepared my studio for the three pieces. A seven-meter-long carpet, for example, requires a lot of space. But the frames also had to be varnished or unwound with yarn. It was important to consider which florals should be used directly and thus sent straight to the drying process… or which flowers I could only finally incorporate on-site at the museum.
I had to test out individual techniques to avoid any surprises during the work phase. At the end of the preparation, I had nine days to complete the three pieces. But this is only possible with friends who support me and optimize the work steps. For example, preparing the materials so that I could weave without wasting time.
Beliefs and religions of the ancient peoples of this world
7-meter-long floral carpet made of gypsophila, thlaspi, broom, cycas, eucalyptus, protea… and many dry materials, wool, sisal, etc. Handwoven on a self-made loom with florals from all continents of the world. Because faith and religion are practiced everywhere in this world.
The Connecting Element Green – Pop Art
“The Connecting Element Green” – Pop Art. The floral element connects people and everyday life. The green textures and structures used are taken out of their original context, isolated, and thus altered in their meaning.
Summary
The “Palace Blooms” project is already beyond the bounds of everyday life. Normally, I’m at the point of sale every day in my company. Work is being done for all of life’s occasions: decorations for weddings, trade fairs, funerals, indoor landscaping, and a lot of Interflora, in addition to the daily customer traffic. Breaking away from such a daily routine is a challenge that I was only able to overcome because my family and team supported me. In my daily life, I only design for others, so it was all the more exciting to create work forms just for myself. At this point, a big thank you to my three material sponsors: Porta Nova, Van der Plas, and Smithers Oasis, without whose material support I wouldn’t have been able to create this. And a thank you to the Kunstpalast Düsseldorf for giving floral designers this opportunity to make people look at flowers differently.
Floral Design: Manfred Hoffmann
Photos: Marie zur Linden
