The Vanity of Certain Flowers Part Two is the fourth monograph by Belgian artist Peter De Potter and the conceptual follow-up to his The Vanity of Certain Flowers from 2016. Again the theme is the act of retreat as an invigorating force and method for self-improvement.

In an elaborate, feed-like series of images, De Potter explores the idea of retreat in his now signature, instantly recognisable way, constructing images through resolutely blending his own photography and video work with his poetry, language, artworks, appropriations and graphic design.

Staged in suburban strips of nature or homely, everyday spaces, the images often have a contemplative, ceremonial quality, hinting at devotional practice. Ascesis and abandon, mystery and frisson, tension and elation all co-exist in this visualisation of a mind, and body, in retreat. The images function as a series of instructions, warnings, allegories, visions and daydreams.

Primarily shot and produced during the 2020 lockdowns, with some portraits done remotely, the pictures are nevertheless wilfully airy and bright: retreat as awakening. The body, a constant element in his work, is agile, unhindered, unhurried. Yet the proverbial worm in the apple is exposed as well, in visual elements that speak of dread, unrest and menace, especially in the works he calls his ‘sinister club flyers’, composed with snippets from downloaded, cut-up and deconstructed medieval and pre-20th century woodcuts, cartoons and illustrations.

Within this book De Potter more than ever wants to acknowledge that he is an artist from the Lowlands. Seemingly deserted Antwerp suburbia, medieval town squares in Ghent, a modernist chapel in his birthplace Kerselare-Oudenaarde: they all feel like humble landmarks that pinpoint his narrative.