Bodega Bouquets I & II

Part I: Buying flowers at the bodega is one of New York City's unsung small luxuries, and it had even more significance during the Covid-19 Pandemic lockdown when we were all so focused on making sure we had basic necessities. With this ongoing series of cheap bodega-bought flowers that I styled with plastic bags, I wanted to create something beyond the bouquets' literal circumstances. I think of them as a humble symbol of hope.

Part II: I now live in a neighborhood where the bodegas don’t carry fresh flowers and dollar stores dot the gritty main avenue that runs under the elevated subway tracks. These stores are stocked floor-to-ceiling with every possible household item–including artificial flowers. Immortal bouquets for a fraction of the price of bodega flowers, an enduring small luxury.