‘ Orchids are like perfectly evolved little sculptures in themselves,
they’re full of colour, interesting shapes and beauty.’
Marc Quinn

Taken from his frozen sculptures, the subject in Marc Quinn’s Separation of Body and Soul (Ultramarine) (2011) is fuelled by his deep-rooted and established fascination with flowers as a reflection of the human relationship with nature and the planet. Focusing on the orchid in particular, the piece is highly characteristic of the artist’s psychologically-driven and wide-ranging oeuvres, which meditate on themes such as concepts of ideal beauty - both natural and genetically manipulated - and notions of female sexuality.

Traditionally a symbol of fertilisation, purity and spiritual perfection, the wild orchid is a pivotal leitmotif in Quinn’s body of work, acting as the medium through which he is able to succinctly demonstrate the persistent force that is human desire, which continuously alters nature’s true limitations. The artist’s attraction to this household plant, amongst others, was as a result of his visit to London’s New Covent Garden market, where he came across flowers that were found in bloom at a time of year which was not naturally possible. False and unnatural, such flowers came to embody a dichotomy of sorts for the artist: despite their artificiality, they are simultaneously – and undeniably - vibrant in colour, and exquisite in their beauty. Indeed, the dynamic splash of primary colours in the work confirms the symbolic element of the orchid as, what the artist calls, “a celebration of life” (Marc Quinn quoted in Laura Bradley, ‘AnOther Thing I Wanted to Tell You. Marc Quinn on orchids’, AnOther Magazine, 14 November 2011.) – a belief which is implied in his association of the orchid with human sexuality, stating that “even though they are a plant’s reproductive organs, they pun on human ones too. They make you realise it is colour, life and sexuality that keeps the world turning.” (ibid.)

An exploration of this paradox, the black and white composition of the present lot has a very strong sculptural element, and thus recalls the artist’s piece, executed in the preceding year, entitled Careless Desire. As with the bronze sculpture, painted white, Separation of Body and Soul (Ultramarine) could be seen as Quinn’s attempt to deny the natural process of decay, by visually capturing the orchid in its full beauty. The quasi-realist rendering of the flower almost seems to present a living object as if frozen and static; he magnifies its significance and delicacy, offering the viewer a rare chance for contemplation. A quintessential example of the artist’s desire to depict, on canvas, an immortalised picture of the flower, the composition is a powerful and elegant exploration of notions that allude to the transience of life.