Wild Flowers, Augustus is a series of sculptures reproducing different parts of historic public figures. These isolated body parts (torso, pelvis, hands, fingers, feet) were hollowed out and cast in bronze. The sculptures act as flower pots or small gardens containing plants native to the region where they are exhibited. These must be plants that grow naturally in the area, including wild plants, grasses, shrubs, bushes, wild flowering plants, and other plants already present in local nurseries. Wild Flowers, Augustus anticipates a future where nature would reclaim and invade the remnants of statues erected in honor of "great historic men." This work continues Iván Argote's exploration of reappropriating statues commemorating nations' "great men." The artist develops narratives in which these statues are stripped of their usual symbolic power. For example, he staged the removal by authorities of the statues of Christopher Columbus (Paseo, 2022) and Joseph Gallieni (Au revoir, Joseph Gallieni, 2021).
In this specific work, Argote used as a starting point a statue of the Roman Emperor Augustus, who, among other things, was the first emperor to bring an obelisk to Rome (Obelisco Flaminio). During his residency at Villa Medici in Rome, Iván Argote conducted extensive research and created a film about this obelisk, titled Levitate, which was shown at the Centre Pompidou in 2022.