Avant-garde botanical artist Azuma Makoto’s works are narratives about the ephemeral nature of life; fleeting moments to be experienced with passion before they disappear. 

In his past works, Makoto has frozen vibrantly hued botanicals in large blocks of ice, created massive floral wall sculptures, and even launched two flower arrangements and a white pine bonsai into the stratosphere, documenting the outer space journey with an attached GoPro camera.

Ephemeral Street Art
With his Flower Messenger Bikes, Makoto created another mobile spin on performance-art, this time on the ground. Thirty young Japanese cyclists on flower-laden bicycles delivered living art to the streets of São Paulo, Brazil.

The colorful brigade rode past many of the city’s prominent landmarks, handing out flowers to passers-by, and creating awareness (however fleeting) of the colors and textures within the urban landscape.

The project marked the inauguration of Japan House São Paulo, a cultural institution that introduces “all elements of genuine Japanese culture to the international community” by showcasing the best of 21st-century Japan. São Paulo is home to the largest Japanese community outside of Japan.

Describing the ephemeral theme in all of Makoto’s work, Japan House’s Director of Programming, Marcello Dantas, said to DesignBoom,“…suddenly that place that was empty yesterday is filled with flowers today. Soon they disappear, but they remain a memory.”

Images via Azuma Makoto.
h/t DesignBoom