The exhibition showcases the work of Karen Aarre, following her artist residency at St Antony’s College in June 2023. The exhibition is divided in two parts. In part one, Aarre unveils new works inspired by her time at the Oxford Botanic Garden and the Ashmolean Museum, reflecting on the meaning of plants in our lives. She contemplates the significance of the sensory and emotional experience of being in close connection with nature.

 

During her residency, Aarre explored the Oxford Botanic Garden as part of her ongoing investigations into parks and gardens as meaningful cultural spaces. Oxford Botanic Garden was founded in 1621 and is the oldest botanic garden in Great Britain, and one of the oldest scientific gardens in the world. It is a living laboratory that educates visitors about biodiversity loss and the climate crisis, while simultaneously providing a visual lens into the complex relationship between science, colonialism, exploitation, human needs, and the pursuit of beauty.

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Aarre also dedicated time to studying the Ashmolean Museum's collection of Dutch Golden Age still life paintings. Her research focused on how botanical discoveries from the Age of Exploration influenced the aesthetics of 17th-century European art - an aesthetic Aarre often references in her own still life paintings.