WHAT? Inka Essenhigh: The Greenhouse 

WHERE? Victoria Miro Gallery, 14 Wharf Road, London N1 7RW

WHEN? Now until 17th April.  Free to visit 

WHY GO?  For a hothouse of beauty.  “When you make happy paintings, the world is a happier place,” so says American artist Essenhigh in her online introduction to this stunning show of new work, primarily flowers and plants.

Talking from her Lower East side studio in New York, she encourages us to feel as though we are walking into a whole atmosphere with her paintings, and we do!

The great Georgia O’ Keeffe made a name for herself with close up paintings of abstract blooms  but Essenhigh takes this concept one step further; her interpretation of flowers feels magical and mystical, many paintings have little hidden motifs that surprise and delight.

Every beautiful blooming image of flowers soothes the soul and feels like a breath of fresh air after recent art exhibitions that require us to dig deep translating philosophical art-speak!

Like a sculptor, she shapes her paintings as she works, rather like sowing a seed and watching it grow!

How wonderful it is to walk through this vast daylight gallery and zone into images that allow us to just enjoy the moment. 

There are only nine paintings but up close and personal, each one suggests a Garden of Eden, a hothouse of botanical beauty and truly encapsulates what she has set out to create, 

‘A big bang of Spring happening’. 

IN THE KNOW Culture fans will love the accompanying exhibition book with loose-leaf glossy images of all the painting on show and pertinent musings from New York best selling writer George Saunders, author of Lincoln in the Bardo which won the 2017 Man Booker prize and most recently, Liberation Day, a short story collection,

Inka Essenhigh: The Greenhouse is available at the special price of £35