In the 1990s, comics left the mainstream and went into their own little ecosystem, a hortus conclusus where only those who had special knowledge (where the stores are, what comics are coming out in two months and need to be preordered now) could buy them. (cbr.com)
They were meant to be seats or resting places, according to the local Chamber of Commerce website, on «the little piece of paradise» — a sort of hortus conclusus — that is Vashon Island. (artforum.com)
The hortus conclusus is such a seminal motif in art history that the Middelheim Museum could hardly leave the implicit meanings of the new museum grounds unexplored. (andrearosengallery.com)