Botanica, Contemporary Art and the World of Plants

This exhibition explores the creative intersection between botanical systems and the visual arts. Plant life serves as a point of departure and as a metaphor for many of the artists in this exhibition, which includes multi-media installations, photography, painting, and live plant material as sculptural forms. Each artist in this exhibition has been led to explore, celebrate or challenge the diverse meanings societies derive from their natural environment. For example, by entering into a dialogue about the correspondence between botanical processes and the language of artistic creation or by referring to the practices of horticulture, natural history and environmentalism, while still others reference specific historical constructions about the significance of botanical life forms to different cultures. Whatever the unique perspective each artist has, the work is part of a larger practice that uses art as a way of connecting individuals, institutions and communities with their natural environment.