The exhibition Rose is a Rose is a Rose takes its title from the iconic phrase by modernist writer and poet Gertrude Stein. The phrase, which first appeared in her poem Sacred Emily (1913), reflects Stein’s exploration of language, repetition and the symbolic weight of everyday objects. By stripping the rose of preconceived meanings and reducing it to its linguistic essence, Stein celebrated both the simplicity and complexity of words and invited readers to re-experience their rhythm and resonance. The sentence became emblematic of modernist art’s focus on perception, and its rhythmic repetition underscores Stein’s innovative approach to poetry.  

In this exhibition, artists Joke Raes, Marja Kennis, Thibo Moreels, Mireille Robbe, Stephanie Leblon and Jonas Vansteenkiste respond to the metaphorical potential of floral motifs. Their works draw on flowers and plants and their multiple meanings – beauty, fragility, impermanence and romance – and transform them into a visual metaphor. Through painting, sculpture and mixed media, they engage with the rhythm and symbolism of flowers, infusing Stein’s poetic rhythm into their visual compositions. 

Each artist brings a unique perspective: Joke Raes with her organic forms, Marja Kennis with her intricate patterns, Thibo Moreels romantic paintings, Mireille Robbe with her ethereal sculptures, Stephanie Leblon with her layered paintings and Vansteenkiste with his conceptual installations all explore how floral images transcend their superficial beauty to become a vessel for deeper emotional and cultural narratives.  

Creating a lush, metaphorical garden, where the universal symbolism of plants and flowers meets each artist’s subjective vision, the exhibition celebrates the enduring echo of Stein’s words in contemporary art.