“Each year, citizens on the island of Sao Miguel, Azores, line the streets with carpets made of flowers for people to walk on during the processions of their religious festivals. The sheer magnitude and hours of work involved in creating these flower carpets are a true testament to the love and devotion felt by the inhabitants of the Azores.

As the son of Portuguese immigrants from Sao Miguel, I have always been fascinated by this tradition and the making of this series has been a way for me to reconnect with my Portuguese heritage. The works in Flower Carpets/Tapetes Floridos are creations of my own flower carpets, having brought the traditions shared with me by grandparents, aunts/uncles, and cousins into my contemporary context. Having collected plant life from my own garden and surrounding Niagara Region where I live to incorporate, I continue this tradition through my own personal interpretation of familial art making. I want the viewer to take away a larger sense of cultural history, family, pride, and a feeling of nostalgia that connects traditions from one’s past to the present.”

-Danny Custodio