Memento Mori - Colour Flower Feast - Still Life Ed. 3 of 9

Winner of the Bluethumb ArtPrize, Photography 2021

Last year during lock down I became enamoured with Dutch still life, Vanitas and Memento Mori sentiments. I dreamt of creating my own ridiculously oversized floral ode to Dutch still life. All the beautiful blooms in this picture are from the fabulous Castlemaine Floristry. As well as rich florals, this artwork is thick with Vanitas-style meaning. Birds in still life represent the resurrection of the soul after death. The skull of course is a reminder of our mortality, and the crown - well you can't take it with you! The unlit candle marks the passing of time, the snails remind us to slow down. Large shells symbolise lust and beauty, therefore hinting at lust as a sin and the power of temptation. Also a sign of death and frailty, as shells were often once homes for a living animal. What else can you read into the image?

This still life was photographed in my studio. The king parrot was photographed in Trentham, and the little insects were photographed in various locations.

Printed by a master printer in small editions in limited sizes.
Available in the following limited editions:

70x63cm: Edition of 25+1AP
$650

90x81cm Edition of 3+2AP Sold out

98x88cm: Edition of 9+2AP
$1500

110x91cm Edition of 3+1AP Sold out

120cmx108cm: Edition of 3+1AP
$2800 (1 left)

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Lauren Starr is an Australian photo-media artist creating narrative works at the intersection of myth, history, and land. Her practice centres on women’s lived and inherited experiences, drawing on fairytales, colonial histories, and personal ancestry to reimagine familiar stories through a contemporary lens.

Working with staged photography and digital compositing, Starr constructs painterly tableaux that sit between reality and myth. Her images often incorporate photographed fragments of her own paintings and textures, creating layered works that feel both symbolic and embodied.

Recent works explore themes of re-wilding, instinct, and the quiet reclamation of power, particularly through reimagined female archetypes and narratives from the Victorian goldfields.

Starr is a finalist in the 2026 Waterhouse Natural Science Art Prize and has been recognised through the Olive Cotton Award and Head On Photo Awards. She is the recipient of the Bluethumb Art Prize (Photography + Grand Prize, 2022), and her work is held in public collections including Parliament House Melbourne and Bendigo Art Gallery.