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The Art of Disguise and Deception BOTANICA
Above: Pollen Presenters by Harlinah TeohRight: Pollen Presenters by Harlinah Teoh
Nature is full of secrets, and this year’s Botanica exhibition invites you to unmask its hidden wonders.
The theme for this year’s Botanica exhibition, ‘The Art of Disguise and Deception’, explores how plants and wildlife use mimicry, camouflage and trickery to survive and thrive. This year, in addition to moving from Lion Gate Lodge to the plush new surrounds of The Garden Gallery, the exhibition has two new Curators, Alissa Cook and Katharine Rogers, who are delighted to help bring you the best in botanical art.
Alissa is a photographic stitch artist with a scientific and project management background. Katharine is a filmmaker, writer and photographer. Together, they have collaborated with Curator Judy Dunstan to select a fantastic array of works.
The exhibition’s theme invited a broad interpretation, resulting in a wide range of artistic styles and mediums, including drawing, painting, linocut, cyanotype, photography and more. The majority of works featured are in traditional botanical style, with meticulous attention to detail and scientific accuracy.
It can take a botanical artist between 200-500 hours of precise and painstaking work to create one picture. Come and find the dolphin hidden in Kate Nolan's Tulip, and marvel at the delicate dots used to draw Tane Andrew’s Pitcher Plants.
Artful deception in the plant kingdom
The artworks include a variety of depictions of mimicry and deception, including the tiger orchid, which fools male wasps into spreading its pollen; the blue-spotted sun orchid, which grows near the native iris, stealing their pollinators away; or the Venus fly trap, which clamps its jaw-like structure over unsuspecting insects.
The curators have also carefully chosen a small number of interpretive works that fall outside of conventional botanic art but are nonetheless outstanding pieces in their own right. Each work responds distinctly and in exciting ways to the theme.
The exhibition features many of your favourite botanical artists, including Beverly Allen, John Pastoriza-Pinol, Angela Lober, Anna Voytsekhovich and Elaine Musgrave, and some new emerging names such as Natasha Mansfield and Tane Andrews, who will undoubtedly be ones to watch in the coming years.
The exhibition will accompany a series of talks, workshops, and other events, including art classes, a private tour of the Royal Botanic Garden library, a children's book reading and a panel discussion with the Garden's leading botanists. Discover the surprising ways plants adapt and survive, as artists bring their ingenuity to life in Botanica 2025.
Supporting Foundation & Friends
Proceeds from Botanica will not only celebrate art and nature but also support the Education Access Program. Twenty per cent of Foundation & Friends’ income from the exhibition will help provide free educational excursions to all three Botanic Gardens of Sydney for eligible schools.
This initiative ensures more children can experience the power of plants and develop a deeper connection with nature and conservation. By supporting Botanica, visitors not only celebrate the beauty of art and nature but also help inspire the next generation of conservationists.
A free copy of the catalogue can be requested from Foundation & Friends via email two weeks prior to the exhibition and artworks may be purchased in advance.
BOTANICA: THE ART OF DISGUISE AND DECEPTION
5 – 21 April, 10am – 4pm.
The Garden Gallery, Royal Botanic Garden
Entry is by donation, and all works will be for sale, with commission going towards programs at the Gardens.
OPENING NIGHT
Friday, April 4, 6 – 8pm.
Join us at the exhibition’s official opening – a ticketed event at which you will be able to purchase artworks and have the opportunity to meet this year's artists and curators. Enjoy a glass of wine and some delicious canapes. For more details on Botanica-related events, tours and talks, see our What's On section (page 28).
