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Artworks
Irene Cattaneo
La reine de la nuite / Queen of the Night (chair), 2025Bronze104x42x44 cm
Seat height: 50cmCopyright The ArtistFurther images
“les fleurs sinistres qui ressemblent aux encensoirs d’une religion inconnue” “sinister flowers that resemble the censers of a strange religion” The Queen of the Night, an enigmatic night-blooming cactus, flowers...“les fleurs sinistres qui ressemblent aux encensoirs d’une religion inconnue”
“sinister flowers that resemble the censers of a strange religion”
The Queen of the Night, an enigmatic night-blooming cactus, flowers only once a year, overnight. It is a wondrous act: the plant transforms itself to become large and fragrant, shining white like a full moon, fleeting like life itself. This nocturnal event, a sort of secret performance, evokes a mysterious solitude; the flower's white petals stand against the darkness of the night, as if mirroring the duality inherent to nature between light and darkness, good and evil and the constant human struggle between Amor and Thanatos. This suite of bronze pieces pays tribute to the Queen of the Night, casting it ultimately as an emblem of hope: the flower's rapid appearance and disappearance signifies a tranquil acceptance of life’s impermanence.