“When the shutdown started in Berlin, back in March, schools,
kindergartens and playgrounds also closed and the kids were home all
day. We were being very diligent and dutiful, avoiding contact with
anyone outside of the immediate family. Life at the time seemed to
alternate between infinite, prosaic household tasks and a ruthless
onslaught of news. Very cleverly, or maybe romantically,Germany listed
florists as essential to life and so they stayed open.Flowers acquired
tremendous allure and symbolism in that anxious time. Sheer
stubbornness of their beauty in the face of despair hinted at
restorative qualities of nature and so, gave one hope.
Unable to go to my studio, I started photographing them at night with
a Polaroid camera once the kids were asleep. Since it takes some time
for the image to develop on this particular film, I made a habit of
putting away the exposed films in a drawer overnight to see the
resulting images in the morning. This night ritual opened up
possibilities of improvisation and play during the Groundhog Day to
day of the quarantine and allowed for a sense of release through
photographic language.”

-Ketuta Alexi-Meskhishvili