Flower Market

Contemporary artist Cj Hendry has introduced her latest immersive installation, Flower Market, at FDR Four Freedoms State Park on New York’s Roosevelt Island. This expansive exhibition, created in collaboration with the luxury beauty brand Clé de Peau Beauté and the Four Freedoms Park Conservancy, invited visitors to explore a vibrant greenhouse filled with thousands of plush flowers.


Inspired by the natural botanicals in Clé de Peau Beauté’s skincare line, Flower Market features a stunning 120-foot by 40-foot greenhouse adorned with 100,000 individually crafted plush flowers. Hendry draws on Ralph Waldo Emerson’s words: “Many eyes go through the meadow, but few see the flowers in it.” This sentiment is brought to life, encouraging guests to wander among the colourful, hand-crafted blooms and truly appreciate their beauty.

Visitors to Flower Market not only encountered an array of plush flowers but also twelve original drawings by Hendry, specifically created for the exhibition. Guests were welcome to take home a plush flower as a cherished keepsake. For those unable to visit in person, Hendry has designed a virtual flower market, allowing participants to create their own personalised plush lily.


The exhibition also pays homage to the Roosevelt family, featuring a curated bouquet that reflects their legacy. Displayed flowers include the yellow Eleanor Roosevelt Rose, tulips symbolizing the family’s Dutch heritage, and red roses that honor the ‘Roosevelt’ name. Additionally, peonies—signature flowers from the Roosevelt farm—enhance this symbolic arrangement.

Hendry draws parallels between her artistic vision and the design philosophy of Louis Kahn, the architect behind Four Freedoms Park. She recalls Kahn’s assertion that “the garden is somehow a personal kind of control of nature.” She views her exhibition as an extension of this concept, crafting an environment where visitors can escape their everyday lives and immerse themselves in a playful, sensory experience. “I hope Flower Market inspires joy and beauty long after the greenhouse is empty, each time we encounter flowers—plush or otherwise,” she shares.