If you've seen Song Seulki's work before, you probably remember the face before you remember the flowers. Or maybe it's the other way around. That's the point. One moment you're looking at a portrait, the next you're trying to figure out where the person ends and the flowers begin. There's no bouquet in sight. No vase either. Instead, skin replaces the container, and the arrangement lasts only as long as the photograph.
One Flower, One Face, One Photograph by Visual Artist Auber – Song Seulki
There's something slightly confusing about Song Seulki's photographs. Your eyes land on the flowers first, but they don't stay there for long. They move to the face underneath, then back to the flowers again. After a few seconds, it becomes difficult to separate one from the other. This makes her work memorable and stays in people's heads.
Song Seulki, the artist behind Auber, a Seoul-based creative, is a visual artist whose work focuses on portraits where flowers are placed directly on the face and photographed as part of the final image. The flowers are not arranged around the subject or used as background decoration because her central idea has always been for them to sit on skin, across facial features, and become part of how the portrait is read. The result changes the usual focus of a portrait, where attention normally stays on expression and identity alone.
The Starting Point Is the Face
Each creation begins with Song's face and a selection of fresh flowers. Her face, as well as the flowers of choice, are the main characters of her art, creating curiosity on social media when it comes to the possibilities of creativity. The placement is done manually, often adjusting position based on shape, scale, and how the flower behaves once it is placed on the skin. Nothing is fixed in advance because all the creations are spontaneous and as natural as possible. The composition develops through direct handling, with a result where the face is the main part of the structure of the work. Flowers are placed according to how they interact with each other!
It's important to note that her work features flowers that are not forced into rigid shapes. Their natural form is kept visible, including stems that bend and petals that shift. All about naturality! The final image depends on how the flowers sit in that moment, which means no two portraits repeat the same structure.
Floral Art That Only Lasts Once
Photography is what fixes the work. Once the image is taken, the arrangement no longer exists in that exact form. The process is temporary, and the photograph becomes the record of it. This is where fashion and editorial work often connect with her practice. The images function as portraits, but also as visual studies that sit between floral work and photography.
Her images are often featured in fashion and beauty publications because they already function as complete visual compositions. Makeup, styling, and flowers are seen as a final surface. This allows the face to be read differently, without removing it from the center of the image.
If you want to see how she builds each piece, visit Song Seulki's Instagram for a closer look at her ongoing work.
