Lotus Flowers by Picocoon: Hope for a Future Where Like Nature Can Bloom Through the Mud

Chinese photographer Picocoon works with neo-pictorialism, a style of photography, often of scenes of nature, that gives it the impression of being painted by hand. This movement was a direct reaction to the commodification of photography, which demands them to churn out images at a fast pace with little to no required skill. Inspired by painters such as Monet, artists like Picocoon aspire to re-establish photography as an art form, one that requires a mastery of its technique and a lengthy period to create.

One of Picocoon’s most notable series is titled Lotus / 荷, a series of photographs which captures the elusive lives of the titular water plants. In Chinese Buddhism, lotus flowers are seen as resting places of the Gods. Said to bloom every April 8th, the day of the Buddha’s birthday, the lotus is considered to be one of the eight most treasured things in the religion. It symbolizes hope for a better future, as lotus flowers grow out of the mud, shedding what is impure before emerging in full bloom. The value contained in its symbolism is akin to that of a phoenix, which is reborn out of its ashes.

In the case of Picocoon’s photographs, where they have portrayed lotuses prominently in the natural landscape they reside in, these lotus flowers become a hope for a better future. It's a future where, like the lotus flower, nature can bloom through the mud and recover from its current state of environmental degradation. This is why Picocoon’s photographs are aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal of Life on Land.

The brevity of Picocoon’s photographs sinks even deeper when their viewers understand that lotus flowers are considered to be the earliest occurring angiosperm (flowering plants) in the world. This means that, alongside the Ginkgo in China, lotus flowers are one of the few living fossil plants on the planet. This again alludes to Picocoon’s hope for the planet’s longevity, that Earth can withstand the tests of time.

Sadly, wild Asian lotuses are now facing extinction in many of their native regions. Even in China, the genetic diversity of its wild population hangs in the air. Habitat destruction through human activity remains the flower's leading cause of extinction, alongside many other plant life. Hence, Picocoon’s pieces become a call to action for people to do what they can to protect lotus flowers and other at-risk plant life. 

Picocoon’s neo-pictorialism photographs of lotus flowers beautifully capture the enduring hope and resilience of nature by drawing on the rich symbolism of Chinese Buddhism. By portraying the lotus flowers rising majestically from the mud, Picocoon offers a powerful metaphor for nature’s potential to recover and thrive despite environmental degradation. 

Find out more about photographs of lotus flowers by Picocoon and their other initiatives by checking their Instagram at @picocoon.