Cj Hendry's Flower Market,
Event Photo Credit: Antonio Ajam
New York, NY - Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “Many eyes go through the meadow, but few see the flowers in it." Contemporary artist Cj Hendry not only sees the flowers, but has designed a greenhouse filled with 100,000 plush flowers as her meadow, and invites us to meander. There is no more perfect way to end the summer than visiting contemporary artist Cj Hendry’s upcoming collaboration with global luxury beauty brand Clé de Peau Beauté and in partnership with Four Freedoms Park Conservancy.
Known for creating art on a grand scale, Cj’s latest extraordinary exhibit, Flower Market, is no different and features a 120-foot by 40-foot greenhouse built on the lawn of the FDR Four Freedoms State Park on Roosevelt Island. The greenhouse will be filled with 100,000 meticulously crafted plush flowers inspired by the natural radiance and botanicals used in Clé de Peau Beauté products.
“When the architect Louis Kahn designed this memorial, he said, ‘The garden is somehow a personal kind of control of nature.’ A lot of my work, and in this exhibition especially, is about manipulating my environments and building a space that takes participants out of their ordinary. I hope Flower Market inspires joy and beauty well after the greenhouse is empty, every time we see flowers - plush or otherwise.”
One significant botanical that inspired Cj was the Radiant Lily found in Clé de Peau Beauté’s The Serum, an iconic skincare product beloved by Cj. “The meticulous craftsmanship in CPB’s products really resonates with me and mirrors my own process” says Cj. The plush Lilies will be on display, alongside Cj’s 12 original drawings created for this exhibition. Among the other flowers on display are a bouquet inspired by the Roosevelt family; the yellow Eleanor Roosevelt Rose, Tulips for the Roosevelt family's Dutch heritage, red Roses symbolizing the "Roosevelt" name (field of roses), and Peonies, the signature flower of the Roosevelt farm.
Cj Hendry Studios
“I wanted to capture the organic beauty and clean elegance of the Radiant Lily. The simple lines and pure white petals are evocative of my practice in general and really became an entry point for me… Franklin D Roosevelt Four Freedoms Park, in my opinion, is an architectural marvel. The fact that it's between Brooklyn and Manhattan on its own island within New York, I just love it. It is an incredible privilege we’ve been granted, I'm so grateful they're on board with me as an artist and Clé de Peau Beauté as a brand.” - Cj Hendry
Cj Hendry Studios
“I am thrilled to share this collaboration between Clé de Peau Beauté and Cj Hendry,” says Alessio Rossi, Executive Vice President Clé de Peau Beauté US Marketing.“This partnership embodies the essence of our brand, known for its intelligence, uncompromising standards, and exquisite quality. Cj Hendry’s remarkable ability to engage audiences through her masterful craftsmanship and thought-provoking social commentary on luxury perfectly resonates with our values.”
Event Photo Credit: Antonio Ajam
Exhibit Details:
September 13-15
10am - 4pm
1 Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms State Park
Roosevelt Island, NY
Ceramides
“CEO of Four Freedoms Park Conservancy, Howard Axel, adds,”We were immediately excited to work with such an exceptional contemporary artist as Cj Hendry and help share her magical work with tens of thousands of visitors. She captures the vision of Louis Kahn and his design ‘to be a place of inspired use’ as she encourages visitors to see the park through her eyes!”
Cj Hendry Studios
About Cj Hendry:
Cj Hendry (b. 1988) is a New York-based artist originally from Brisbane, Australia. Hendry transforms her fascination with contemporary material culture into large-scale, hyper-photorealistic drawings. Cj Hendry’s exhibits are intended to be actively experienced through the engaging, and thought-provoking environments she constructs. For her 2023 exhibition Epilogue, guests were welcomed into a reimagined 1830s Georgian church that was blanketed in falling white petals for ten straight days. At Public Pool (2024), visitors traveled hours into the Las Vegas desert to dip into a temporary Olympic-sized swimming pool, complete with lounge chairs and pool floaties. Each Cj Hendry exhibit, from Miami to Melbourne, draws massive crowds, with attendees sometimes waiting in line for several hours to experience the magic within. Celebrity clientele and avid private collectors mean Hendry’s waitlist is now well over 3,000 collectors deep, with a wait time of up to five years to get their hands on a piece. @CJ_Hendry
About Clé de Peau Beauté:
Clé de Peau Beauté, the global luxury brand from Shiseido Co., Ltd., was founded in 1982 as the ultimate expression of elegance and science. Clé de Peau Beauté means the key to skin’s beauty. The philosophy of the brand is to unlock radiance by harnessing makeup technologies and advanced skincare from around the world. Forever guided by an exquisite aesthetic sensibility and intelligence, Clé de Peau Beauté has instilled its products with modernity, enchantment, and dynamism to emerge as an industry leader in delivering radiance so remarkable, as if it emanates from within. Available in 26 countries and regions worldwide*. @CledePeauBeauteUS
About Four Freedoms Park Conservancy:
Four Freedoms Park Conservancy (FFPC), founded in 2011, operates under a Friends Agreement with New York State Parks to produce and curate public programs at Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms State Park. The park, designed by the groundbreaking American modernist architect Louis Kahn, is among the most significant architectural masterpieces in New York City. By leveraging this spectacular architecture and the unique location of the park, FFPC strives to produce events, installations and public art and works with nonprofit partners that can ignite conversations about the Four Freedoms and the legacy of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. @4FreedomsPark
About New York State Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation:
The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation oversees more than 250 parks, historic sites, recreational trails, golf courses, boat launches, and more, which saw a record 84 million visits in 2023. For more information on any of these recreation areas, visit here and download the free NY State Parks Explorer app or call 518.474.0456. Join us in celebrating our Centennial throughout 2024, and connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), YouTube, Flickr, and the OPRHP Blog.@NYStateParks
Free Ticket Registration here.
Visitors are invited to explore the vibrant field of flowers and take one home with them. Those who cannot experience Flower Market in person can explore a virtual flower market and personalize their own plush white Lily inspired by the Radiant Lily.
For more information about Cj’s art please visit her site here and on Instagram.
