Flowering Under Stress presents a wide selection of works from Ana Prvački’s daily watercolour practice, that began during the pandemic and subsequent lockdowns. It guides us through the inner and outer landscapes of our recent years, as we grappled the complex emotions of a world turned upside down.

A therapeutic visual journey that reveals Prvački’s signature playful wit, the watercolours address current conversations on history, ecology, sexuality, technology, self care and mental health. Offering an imaginative and improvisational approach to the world, encouraging us to recognise our shared humanity and to look for hope in unlikely places.

Featuring a text by celebrated author, Zadie Smith.

The book cover references a common theme found within Zadie Smith’s text – the guilt of ordering online deliveries whilst being in lockdown. Printed onto a double-sided board, the outer cover has an uncoated, highly textured, brown box-like finish. This opens up to reveal a package of every single item in the book, printed on a white, coated inner cover, obscured by front and back flaps.

The cover text is printed in a white ink that bleeds into the board material, creating an effect that is reminiscent of the watercolour ink used to create Prvački’s artwork. Giving a slight splodginess of line and a touch of transparency to the material below.

The publication is inspired by the design of children’s books, using decorative typography and large type sizes to create a sense of familiarity and ease. This is occasionally disrupted through an ‘off’ placement of image and text – such as the word ‘Stress’ wrapping around the edge of the front cover.

Images either sit as pairs that interact with each other, or as a single item to draw more emphasis. The works are printed onto a warm-white, uncoated paper in a heavier weight to give a feeling of bulk in reference to the original watercolour paper that the artworks were created on.