London – In the luminous surroundings of Kew Gardens, where trees from every corner of the world root deep into London soil, a new exhibition invites us to slow down, look closely, and listen. The Power of Trees, opening at the Shirley Sherwood Gallery of Botanical Art from Saturday 12 April to Sunday 14 September 2025, is an evocative exploration of trees not merely as subjects of scientific record, but as enduring sources of artistic and emotional connection.
This multi-sensory exhibition elegantly bridges scientific precision with aesthetic wonder, spotlighting trees as living witnesses to time, trauma, regeneration—and beauty. It is no accident that this deeply thoughtful show arrives in 2025, marking the centenary of the first tree planting at Bedgebury National Pinetum.
A Living Archive: The Bedgebury Pinetum Florilegium Society
At the heart of the exhibition are 20 newly commissioned works from the Bedgebury Pinetum Florilegium Society, a dedicated group of artists who render trees in exquisite botanical detail. These illustrations do not merely please the eye—they serve a crucial archival purpose, offering scientifically accurate records of tree species from the living collection at Bedgebury, home to nearly 12,000 conifers.
Each piece resonates with care: delicate pinus needles, textural cones, layered barks. As viewers, we are drawn into the patient act of observation, mirroring the process of the artists themselves. Their work continues a centuries-old tradition that positions art not as a mere mirror to nature, but as a tool for its preservation.
It is also a gesture of remembrance: of William Dallimore, whose vision after WWI moved Kew’s endangered conifer collection to Bedgebury, and of the century of growth, care, and conservation that followed. Letters and diaries from the archive now on display provide poignant glimpses into this history, enriching the experience with voices from the past.
Cinematic Forest: Eija-Liisa Ahtila’s Horizontal – Vaakasuora
If the Florilegium artists offer a quiet meditation on form and taxonomy, Finnish visual artist Eija-Liisa Ahtila confronts the elemental scale of trees through immersive technology. Her eight-channel installation Horizontal – Vaakasuora reimagines a 30-metre spruce not as a distant object, but as a protagonist—a full-body portrait, told in unfolding vertical screens.
The tree Ahtila films is not abstract; it is one she has known her entire life. The resulting video installation allows us to enter the spruce’s world: to feel its stature, to sense its endurance. It’s a quietly radical work that invites empathy toward a non-human subject, and challenges us to rethink our relationship with scale, perspective, and narrative.
Also premiering in the UK are Ahtila’s Anthropomorphic Exercises on Film, a series of pastel drawings where cinematic language is applied to trees—inviting the viewer to imagine the tree as both subject and storyteller. These works shimmer between science, surrealism, and care.
In her own words, Ahtila reflects:
“Using the traditionally human-dominated medium of film allowed me to explore all this tree must endure to survive… I hope visitors can find time to reflect on the resilience of the trees we so often overlook.”
A Celebration Rooted in Connection
The exhibition unfolds across the Shirley Sherwood Gallery and into Gallery Six, where a selection from the Sherwood Collection highlights how trees adapt across climates. Further afield, the Marianne North Gallery expands this botanical inquiry with Woodlands and Forests, a one-year showcase of plant and fungal life curated from Kew’s Herbarium, Fungarium and Economic Botany collections.
This summer at Kew is themed around trees—from the poetic to the playful. Alongside The Power of Trees, visitors can explore Of the Oak, an interactive installation by Marshmallow Laser Feast (3 May–28 September), follow the Remarkable Trees Trail, or ascend the Treetop Walkway, finding perspective both earthly and aerial.
Final Thoughts
The Power of Trees does not shout—it listens. It listens to the silence of forests, the scratch of pencil on paper, the slow reel of film. It is an invitation not just to appreciate trees, but to feel with them, learn from them, and advocate for their future.
As Maria Devaney, Galleries and Exhibition Leader at RBG Kew, aptly notes:
“Trees provoke a huge array of artistic responses… I can’t think of a better place to celebrate their spectacular power than at Kew Gardens amongst our incredible 11,000 strong collection.”
This exhibition is more than a tribute; it is a testament—to longevity, collaboration, and the quiet, steadfast power of trees.
The Power of Trees
📍 Shirley Sherwood Gallery of Botanical Art, Kew Gardens
📅 Saturday 12 April – Sunday 14 September 2025
🎟 Included with Kew admission | £1 Universal Credit ticket | £10 Young Person’s ticket
🔗 www.kew.org