When I visited Kew Gardens last summer, The Power of Trees exhibition was on display at the Shirley Sherwood Gallery of Botanical Art. Running from the 12th April to the 14th September 2025, this exhibition was conceived as a sweeping artistic and scientific meditation on the profound influence of trees on human culture, ecological systems, and the imagination. It brought together newly commissioned botanical artworks, historic pieces, and an immersive multi‑channel video installation to create a layered experience that invited visitors to look at trees not simply as background elements of the natural world, but as dynamic, ancient, and essential beings. The exhibition was also notable for marking the first artistic collaboration between Kew and the Bedgebury Florilegium Society, whose artists contributed twenty new works that celebrated trees from around the world. These pieces sat alongside the cinematic installation Vaakasuora-Horizontal by Finnish artist Eija‑Liisa Ahtila, which transported viewers into the atmosphere of a boreal forest through eight synchronised projections. Together, these elements formed an exhibition that is both visually striking and intellectually expansive, offering a rare opportunity to explore trees through multiple artistic and scientific lenses. It was also a great opportunity to help decrease my plant blindness (as well as for anyone that visited), one of my ongoing goals through the next couple of years.
The Shirley Sherwood Gallery of Botanical Art is itself an important part of the exhibition’s story. As the world’s first gallery dedicated solely to botanical art, it has become a space where scientific accuracy and artistic expression meet. Its clean lines and proximity to the living collections of Kew Gardens make it an ideal setting for an exhibition that asks visitors to consider the relationship between representation and reality. Walking into the gallery, visitors were immediately aware of the continuity between the artworks on the walls and the living trees outside, an intentional dialogue that reinforced the exhibition’s themes. The gallery’s long-standing mission to elevate botanical art as both a scientific and aesthetic discipline provided the perfect framework for an exhibition that celebrates trees as subjects worthy of deep study and creative interpretation. One of the central messages of The Power of Trees was that trees are not merely decorative or utilitarian elements of the landscape, they are ancient survivors that have shaped the planet for millions of years. The exhibition highlighted species from across the world, each chosen to illustrate the extraordinary adaptations that have allowed trees to persist through dramatic climatic and geological changes. These adaptations, whether the fire‑resistant bark of eucalypts, the water‑storing trunks of baobabs, or the resilience of ginkgos, which have survived mass extinctions, are rendered with meticulous detail in the botanical artworks. The precision of these paintings allowed viewers to appreciate the evolutionary ingenuity of trees, while the accompanying interpretive texts helped contextualise their ecological roles and cultural significance. How many of us have stopped to ponder the adaptations that trees have to their environments, or the importance they have in the ecosystems they belong? They are often overlooked and taken for granted.
A major highlight of the exhibition is the collaboration with the Bedgebury Florilegium Society, marking the first time Kew has partnered with this group of artists. The Society is known for its dedication to documenting the National Pinetum at Bedgebury, home to one of the most significant conifer collections in the world. For The Power of Trees, twenty artists were commissioned to create new works that celebrate the diversity, structure, and beauty of trees. These pieces range from intimate studies of cones, leaves, and bark to large‑scale portraits of entire trees. The artists’ approaches vary widely, some favour hyper‑realistic detail, while others adopt a more expressive style, but all share a commitment to scientific accuracy and artistic excellence. This collaboration enriched the exhibition by bringing together multiple artistic voices, each offering a different perspective on what it means to depict a tree.
Botanical art has long served as a bridge between science and the public, and The Power of Trees demonstrated how this tradition continues to evolve. The artworks in the exhibition did more than simply document plant structures, they invited viewers to slow down, observe, and appreciate the complexity of trees. In an age when digital images are ubiquitous and often fleeting, the painstaking process of botanical painting (requiring hours of close observation, careful layering of colour, and deep knowledge of plant morphology) feels almost radical. The exhibition emphasised this point by juxtaposing traditional botanical paintings with contemporary works that push the boundaries of the genre. Some artists focused on the minute details of a tree’s anatomy, while others explore broader themes such as seasonal change, ecological relationships, or the emotional resonance of trees. This diversity of approaches underscores the idea that trees can be understood and appreciated in many ways, each offering its own insights. It is a shame that we have separated science and art, whereas before the advent of photography, they were closely intertwined for centuries.
One of the most striking elements of the exhibition was Eija‑Liisa Ahtila’s eight‑channel video installation Horizontal – Vaakasuora. This immersive work presented a life‑sized spruce tree filmed in sections and projected horizontally across multiple screens. The effect was both disorienting and mesmerising, encouraging viewers to reconsider their relationship to scale, perspective, and the natural world. By presenting the tree horizontally rather than vertically, Ahtila challenged the traditional way we perceive trees and invited us to engage with them on a more intimate level. The installation also evoked the experience of being in a boreal forest, with its shifting light, subtle movements, and atmospheric soundscape. This sensory immersion complemented the more static botanical artworks, creating a dynamic interplay between stillness and motion, detail and atmosphere. The inclusion of this installation highlighted the exhibition’s commitment to exploring trees through multiple artistic mediums and cultural perspectives. It was extremely large and certainly dwarfed me (despite the fact I am a couple of inches shy of being 2 metres tall), making me consider my own relationship with these static giants.
Beyond their ecological importance, trees hold deep cultural, spiritual, and emotional significance across societies. The Power of Trees explores this dimension by including artworks that reflect personal connections between artists and trees. Some pieces depict trees that have played a role in the artist’s childhood or family history, while others focus on species that hold symbolic meaning in particular cultures. For example, the ginkgo is often associated with resilience and longevity, while the baobab is revered in many African cultures as a symbol of community and nourishment. By highlighting these personal and cultural narratives, the exhibition encourages visitors to reflect on their own relationships with trees, whether through memories of climbing a favourite childhood tree, walking through a forest, or simply enjoying the shade of a street tree on a hot day. This emotional dimension adds depth to the exhibition, reminding viewers that trees are not only biological organisms but also powerful symbols in human life.
Although The Power of Trees was primarily an art exhibition, it inevitably touches on the urgent environmental issues facing trees today. Climate change, deforestation, invasive pests, and habitat loss all threaten tree populations around the world. The exhibition does not present these issues in a didactic or heavy‑handed way, but rather allows the artworks and descriptions themselves to prompt reflection on the fragility and resilience of trees. For instance, paintings of endangered species or trees from threatened ecosystems serve as quiet reminders of what is at stake. The inclusion of species from diverse regions also highlights the global nature of these challenges. By fostering a deeper appreciation for trees, the exhibition implicitly encourages visitors to consider their role in protecting them. This aligns with Kew’s broader mission to promote plant conservation and environmental stewardship.
Walking through the exhibition provided a sensory journey that mirrored the experience of moving through a forest. The botanical artworks drew the eye with their intricate details and vibrant colours, inviting close inspection. The video installation enveloped viewers in sound and movement, creating a sense of immersion. The gallery’s architecture, with its clean lines enhanced the contemplative atmosphere. Visitors may have found themselves slowing down, taking time to observe the textures of bark, the patterns of leaves, or the subtle variations in colour that reveal a tree’s age or health. This sensory engagement is central to the exhibition’s impact, encouraging a deeper connection with the natural world. The Power of Trees was not an isolated event but part of Kew’s ongoing efforts to highlight the importance of plants in addressing global challenges. By focusing on trees (organisms that play a crucial role in carbon sequestration, biodiversity, and ecosystem stability) the exhibition reinforced Kew’s message that plants are essential to life on Earth. It also demonstrated the value of art in communicating scientific ideas and inspiring public engagement.
One of the strengths of The Power of Trees was its diversity. The exhibition pieced together species from different continents, artistic styles ranging from traditional botanical illustration to contemporary multimedia, and perspectives that spanned scientific, cultural, and personal dimensions. This diversity reflected the richness of the world’s forests and the many ways in which trees touch human lives. It also mirrored the diversity of visitors to Kew Gardens, who bring their own experiences and interpretations to the exhibition. By offering multiple entry points (scientific, aesthetic, emotional) the exhibition ensured that every visitor could find something meaningful. Ultimately, The Power of Trees was a testament to the enduring appeal of trees as subjects of artistic and scientific inquiry. Trees have inspired artists for centuries, from early botanical illustrators to contemporary environmental artists. They have also fascinated scientists, who continue to uncover new insights into their biology, ecology, and evolutionary history. This exhibition captured that dual fascination, presenting trees as both familiar and mysterious, ordinary and extraordinary. It invited visitors to see trees not just as background elements of the landscape but as complex, dynamic beings that shape the world in profound ways. I certainly enjoyed it and then spent some time in the gift shop afterwards buying small mementos from the exhibition to take home with me. If you visited, what was your favourite part?
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