Men Carrying Flowers: Volume 2

Men Carrying Flowers Vol. 2 by artist Ophelia Mikkelson Jones and 42 others. Featuring text by author and director Durga Chew-Bose.

Ophelia is an artist and photographer from Aotearoa, New Zealand. She has been documenting unplanned sightings of men carrying flowers for over 12 years. This continuous body of work is founded on chance encounters and a draw towards documenting gestures of kindness, care, and human exchange. 

"When Vol.1 was published, people from everywhere, all over the world, started sending me their sightings. This was something I did not expect because in those first five years, taking these photos was something I did and thought about alone. And then I began receiving all these images that other people had taken through their eyes—photographs from places I had never been. These beautiful and thrilling, heart-melting photos were all floating on my phone. 'Many hands make light work.' I had been told. It was the village, supporting the project (and me, by symphony, as a new mother too)—a very warm feeling of connection and love and beauty; something deeply satisfying and surprising that made itself."— Ophelia Mikkelson Jones

Her new book, Men Carrying Flowers Vol, 2., consists of sightings captured by 48 people from all over the world in 31 different cities between 2020—2026, sent to Ophelia after readers engaged with the first book. These contributions, created without request and in the wild, prove the effect of Vol. 01's sentiment. 

Alongside the images and text recollections is a new text by author Durga Chew-Bose. Bose considers the one day of the year when the streets are alive with blooms, drawing from both personal and imagined realities. Durga Chew-Bose is a Canadian writer and film director. Her first book, Too Much and Not the Mood, was published in 2017. Her first film, Bonjour Tristesse, which she adapted from the Françoise Sagan novel by the same name, debuted in 2024.

Published by Anyonegirl.