Ode to Resilience: The Black Iris


Ode to Resilience: The Black Iris, Jordan's national flower, by Bonfelle

Part of the Byzantine Saga·See the full series

Part of Odes to Peace·See the full series

The black iris is Jordan’s national flower, and it has never looked fragile to me. Deep-rooted and stubbornly proud, it stands in the dark as if it has somewhere to be.

In these pieces, I let it push back against the darkness around it. In the monochrome versions, it simply holds its ground. In the gold ones, it opens toward a bright, triumphant dawn. Between the two, I was trying to capture something all of us know: the weight of the night, and the promise of the morning.

To me, the black iris is a silent manifesto. It asks us to stay strong, to stand our ground, and to trust that even after the darkest night, the light comes back.

أنشودة الصمود

السوسنة السوداء هي الزهرة الوطنية للأردن، ولم تبدُ لي يوماً هشّة؛ عميقة الجذور، شامخة، تقف في العتمة كأن لها موعداً لا تريد أن تفوّته. في النسخ أحادية اللون تثبت في مكانها، وفي النسخ الذهبية تنفتح نحو فجر مشرق. بين الحالتين حاولت أن ألتقط ما نعرفه جميعاً: ثقل الليل ووعد الصباح. إنها بيان صامت يدعونا إلى الثبات، وإلى الثقة بأن النور يعود بعد أحلك الليالي.

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