Washington DC, USA  “Georgetown On The Journey” by Chris Pyrate

Why wait for the real blooms when you can already welcome spring to the city with the help of “fake florist” Chris Pyrate?
Until the end of May 2023, the fluffed-up flowers of his work “Georgetown on the Journey” adorned the streets of Washington, D.C.'s Georgetown Park.

Born in D.C. and raised on Southern Avenue, Pyrate has a personal connection to Georgetown Park, which has always been a retreat of sorts for him. As a young artist, Pyrate's career took him to cities like Miami and New York. The unique artistic traditions of those cities increasingly drew his eye to the distinctive aesthetic of his hometown, to which he returned in 2017. But it wasn't until he lost several loved ones there that cherry blossoms and their significance came into focus:
Always positively associated, sakuras represent beauty and new beginnings – but also the transience of the moment and of life.  As characteristic as they are for Washington, Pyrate has also recognized them as a symbol and integrated them as a typical feature in his art, which can be found everywhere in the city. The black outer lines of his works are reminiscent of traditional Japanese woodblock prints, while at the same time bridging the gap to modern Pop Art.

  Beginning in a pop-up store where the artist sells clothing from his brand Chris Pyrate & Friends, his popular pastel floral paintings, mounted on giant plywood panels and now set up for two months as an immersive experience for pedestrians, stretch between the windows of a shopping mall and across the bridges of the Park District. He seems to feel at home in this commercial environment – his site lists some questionable companies as clients – from Uniqlo to Unilever to Adidas' Yeezy.

At the same time, Pyrate seeks - and instills - comfort and hope in the flower motif, which is both a symbol and a love letter to his hometown. In Georgetown, the commissioned work brings spring to the cobbled alleys and certainly more customers to the shopping streets.