orchid.

i’m pretty much of fan of anything patti smith related. and that obviously includes robert mapplethorpe. yesterday, i spent the afternoon perusing the galleries of LACMA and mapplethorple’s XYZ definitely took the cake. in the late 70′s/early 80′s, mapplethorpe created three portfolios:: homosexual sadomasochistic imagery (X); floral still lifes (Y); and nude portraits of african-american men (Z). his theory:: when displayed together, the three portfolios would represent the purest, inhibited form.

the exhibit was beautiful (and beyond graphic). my favorite part, however, was patti smith’s forward to (Y) and i could’t help but jot down this excerpt on the trinity of the orchid. love.

source.