“The Eden of Madness”
is a visual project that explores the relationship between language, culture, and “madness,” focusing on how society has shaped the perception of madness, especially in women throughout history. Through linguistic psychoanalysis, the project unveils how madness has been associated with the feminine and reveals an intriguing connection between the gender of words, such as “judgment” in the masculine and “madness” in the feminine (in Spanish). Examples like Ophelia in “Hamlet” personify feminine madness symbolized by flowers, suggesting that madness can be a hidden form of knowledge.
The project draws inspiration from the “Language of Flowers” or floriography, a Victorian cryptological medium where flowers were used to send coded messages, allowing the expression of inexpressible feelings. Building upon this language, visual essays are created about the lives and works of female artists who challenged the stigma of madness in their time. Using the symbolic qualities of flowers, such as color, contour, texture, and line, they reinterpret their experiences. “The Eden of Madness” challenges cultural perceptions of madness and pays tribute to the lives and works of women who defied the conventions of their time.
Each painting constitutes a floral tribute in honor of the following women artists:
Ophelia
Camille Claudel
Séraphine Louis
Hildegard von Bingen
Sylvia Plath
Francesca Woodman
Alejandra Pizarnik
Aloïse Corbaz
Circe
