With Western Australia’s wildflower season upon us, and several beautiful botanical art exhibitions on in Perth recently, it seems to be a perfect time to gather curators, artists, and botanists together to discuss art, science, and plants. Luckily, the Framing Flora symposium did just that!
The happy face of a woman who got to hear about botany, science and art for two whole afternoons!
I had the great pleasure of attending the Framing Flora symposium in July, with one panel discussion held at the Art Gallery of WA, featuring the Botanical: Beauty & Peril exhibit, and a second panel discussion held at the Lawrence Wilson Art Galley at UWA, featuring the Nikulinsky Naturally exhibit.
The first panel discussion featured talks from Kado Muir (Ethnobotanist and Consultant), Prof Stephen Hopper (Professor of Bioviersity, UWA), Dr Phil Groom (Botanical Author), Laetitia Wilson (Exhibitions Manager, Holmes à Court Gallery), and Susie Vickery (botanist, artist, curator of Peregrinations of a Citizen, chaired by Jude van der Merwe (curator, Wildflower State).
The second symposium featured talks from Professor Ted Snell (Chief Cultural Office, UWA), Prof Ann Elias (Professor of Art History, University of Sydney), Prof Kingsley Dixon (Professor of Botany, Curtin University), Dr Erica Seccombe (Visual Artist, ANU), and a panel discussion on Women, Art & Flowers including Prof Ann Elias, Ellen Hickman (Botanist and Artist), Philippa Nikulinsky (West Australian Artist), and Gemma Weston (Curator, Cruthers Collection of Women’s Art, UWA), chaired by Victoria Laurie (Writer and Senior Reporter, The Australian).
There were a few key themes which wove their way through both of the exhibitions and panel discussions, which I’d like to share…
Amazing Eucalyptus erythrocorys painting by Philippa Nikulinsky.
Here in the southwest corner of Western Australia, we live in a paradox: a global biodiversity hotspot. Exceptional biodiversity and exceptional destruction. High species endemism and high species loss. Beauty and peril. It’s a catch 22, and both sides are important.
But let’s start with the beauty. Prof Kingsley Dixon described the southwest corner of WA as one of nature’s greatest evolutionary experiments. With poor soil nutrition, fire, drought, and salinity, the plants native to this region have had to adapt in some pretty weird and wonderful ways. From carnivorous plants digesting insects, to parasitic plants sucking water and nutrients from host trees, to orchids feeding on fungi and tricking wasps into pollinating them, southwest Australia really does have it all!
As Dr Phil Groom pointed out, the exceptional biodiversity of southwest WA exists not only in the number of species, but in the variety of form, colour, and function. Just take a look at the leaves of different Hakea species - tall, short, thin, thick, pointy, curly, you name it! With the beauty and diversity of our southwest hotspot in mind, it’s no wonder that Philippa Nikulinksy spoke about beginning all of her artworks with place. “My artworks are all memories of a place I’ve walked through,” she said.
Kado Muir discussed the importance of native plants for biodiversity and culture on country (podcast available here). He gave the example of Scaevola spinescens, a beautiful fan-flower with a pungent perfume, that is one of the most popular bush medicines in Australia. Ann Elias echoed this, highlighting the need to see flowers as far more than just “useless beauty”, but rather as important components of our native biodiversity and cultural history, and providing ecosystem services (such as habitat and food resources) to other species.
A selection of artworks from the Beauty & Peril exhibition at the State Gallery of WA.
And now, onto the peril…
The Botanical: Beauty & Peril exhibition began with taxonomic precision and a diverse array of colour and floral forms. However, halfway through, it transitions from bright to dark, highlighting the issues of land clearing, loss of native species, and the rise of invasive species.
Prof Steve Hopper said that one of the greatest threats to the biodiversity of southwest Australia is the clearing of land, both historical and ongoing. Prof Kingsley Dixon reiterated this, pointing out that less than 30% of the land in southwest Australia has been left uncleared, and that Australia is a world leader in extinctions and in global greenhouse gas emissions. As Philippa Nikulinsky noted, “some of the flowers featured in my biogeographic region posters may not be there any more.”
Laetitia Wilson, curator of the Botanical: Beauty & Peril exhibition, spoke about how it was discussed many times whether to end the exhibition on a note of hope. In the end, it was a conscious decision to not do so. I think this was a brave and important choice, as we need people to know and feel what a big loss southwest Australia has faced, and to know that now is the time to take action. As Laetitia said, in the wise words of climate activist Greta Thunberg, “we cannot solve a crisis without treating it as a crisis.”
She said that the Beauty and Peril exhibition was also designed to critique colonial approaches to science, and condemn the injustices that colonisation has caused. Ann Elias brought up Christian Thompson’s Australian Graffiti series, which critiques the colonial designation of Indigenous peoples of Australia as “flora and fauna” through a series of self-portraits in which Thompson is adorned and sometimes covered by native flora.
Western Australian tourism posters on display in the Botanical: Beauty and Peril exhibition
In The Botanical exhibition, the shift from beauty to peril, and the subtle overlap of these two themes, was perfectly signposted by the Western Australian tourism posters. These two posters showcase beauty (wildflowers and tall trees) alongside peril (wildflowers plucked from the ground and tall trees fallen for logging). While these things can all of course be considered valuable and important for us humans, the unfortunate reality is that tourism and recreation are listed as major threats for a wide diversity of plants.
Of course, tourism and recreation are often ways in which people can truly connect with nature. Ellen Joy Hickman discussed the importance of going out into the landscape to be with and experience plants - “we’re all part of an ecosystem”. Philippa remarked on the importance of getting on your hands and knees to find the little treasures in the bush, and interacting with nature as you walk through it. Gemma Weston said that Philippa’s work is a reminder to pay attention - people spend time with paintings, examining them, but this isn’t something everyone does with nature.
It was suggested that, to make the most of your experience at an art gallery, or indeed while out in nature, you can choose a particular theme or object to hone in on. Like, the colour purple, or a spiky-looking texture, or other hidden secrets. For me, as somebody who researches carnivorous plants, I played a game of spot-the-carnivorous-plants in the Nikulinsky Naturally exhibition. It was so fun to try and find every Drosera on display or hidden away, and even a cheeky Cephalotus follicularis.
Spot the carnivorous plants! All artworks in this collage are by Philippa Nikulinsky, on display at the Nikulinsky Naturally exhibition at the Lawrence Wilson Art Gallery, UWA.
The panels all agreed: separation of people and nature is part of the problem, but art can be part of the solution, allowing people to connect with places they may not be able to visit.
Dr Erica Seccombe pointed out that technology can open a whole new world for people to be able to explore nature without physically being in it. Her 3D rendering of x-rayed mungbeans and alfalfa seeds growing were an incredible example of this. She argued that the incorporation of art with science can stimulate us to think in new ways, to appreciate and care for nature, and to take action. Gemma Weston added that many artists record soundscapes of ecosystems, providing a pocket of wilderness, with the occasional background of plane/train/car so you still know you’re in an urban environment.
Because of all this, I was absolutely delighted to find that the Lawrence Wilson Art Gallery had a community art space, with coloured paint pens, see-through projector paper, and beautiful photos of native plants and animals. I had a go at one of the Banksia’s from the Nikulinsky Naturally exhibition, and loved every minute.
The Hub at Lawrence Wilson Art Gallery, including my attempt at Philippa Nikulinsky’s beautiful Banksia art
I’m so glad that I got the chance to attend these Framing Flora events - they were all such wonderful opportunities to reflect on and discuss the links between science, art, history, people, and plants. I left each event feeling even more inspired to take the time each day to appreciate the natural world around me, and get out my paints and pencils and embroidery threads and make some art! 🌸🌿
In the comments below, I’d love to know what your favourite nature-inspired artwork is? And if you make some nature-inspired art of your own, I’d love to see it!