Tātou Tipu O Mua – O Ināianei Me Te Āpōpō

Our Plants – Past, Present and Future

Botanical Art Worldwide 2025 is the second iteration of a project in which artists around the world join together to curate simultaneous exhibitions of botanical art. The exhibitions created aim to raise awareness of the rejuvenation of this art form and bring attention to plants and their importance to humanity.

Ashburton Art Gallery and Museum are excited to be exhibiting the New Zealand Botanical Art Worldwide exhibition for 2025, which has been displayed at the Botanic Gardens in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland and Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington.

This second Botanical Art Worldwide Project focuses on and celebrates biodiversity in the crops that have been closely associated with the human species over thousands of years. The theme is designed to draw attention to the vast variety of food and useful plants available, in contrast with the relatively few varieties currently used in mass cultivation. Plants eligible for inclusion were those cultivated for food, textiles, building, energy, and medicine.

Currently, many heritage species and varieties are only cultivated in small quantities by specialist growers on a limited scale. It is vital to promote this genetic diversity in a world challenged by a growing population, changing climate, and habitat losses.

Main image: Sandra Morris, Phaseolus vulgaris, ‘Iraqi climber’, acrylic on black crescent board.

Left image: Sara Bissielo, Lonicera caerulea, ‘Packs a punch’, watercolour on paper.