Islamic cultural exhibitions to open at London's Kew Gardens

All the Flowers are for Me and Plants of the Quran are on show from April 1

A gallery worker poses with the work All the Flowers are for Me by Pakistani-American artist Anila Quayyum Agha at Kew Gardens in London, on March 30. EPA

Two exhibitions by female artists inspired by designs and plants significant in Islamic culture are to open this Spring at Kew Gardens in London.

Pakistani-American artist Anila Quayyum Agha's All the Flowers are for Me and Plants of the Quran by botanical artist Sue Wickison will open on April 1 at the Royal Botanical Gardens in London.

All the Flowers are for Me by Agha shows contemporary steel sculptures including a large light box suspended from the gallery ceiling.

It features patterns inspired by Islamic art and architecture, with designs projected throughout the gallery space as shadows to allow visitors to become a “living, breathing part of the artwork”.

Alongside this will be Stealing Moments (After Morris and Durer) I and II, which will mark its UK premiere at Kew.

Built from mirrored stainless steel, this wall-mounted piece is inspired by Albrecht Durer’s watercolour Great Piece Of Turf, painted in 1503.

“As an artist who draws constant inspiration from the beauty, shapes and structures of our precious natural world, I’m delighted to be bringing my work to Kew Gardens for the first time this April," Agha said.

“Showcasing All the Flowers Are For Me and Stealing Moments (After Morris and Durer) I and II in the Shirley Sherwood Gallery Of Botanical Art will be a very special experience, and is one which I’m really looking forward to sharing with visitors.

“I invite people to take the time to pause and reflect on the themes of the art pieces during their time in the gallery.”

Pakistani-American artist Anila Quayyum Agha walks through her work All the Flowers are for Me at Kew Gardens in London, on March 30. EPA

Wickison’s exhibition features 25 new botanical paintings of plants mentioned in The Quran.

The collection aims to “highlight the cultural, agricultural, and botanical significance of a variety of species” to allow visitors to “engage with often-everyday plants in new ways, exploring their cultural context alongside their role in modern medicine, as food sources and in gardens around the world”.

“After six years of researching, sourcing and illustrating the many plants which are described in the Koran, it’s wonderful to be able to celebrate the culmination of this work with this new exhibition," Wickison said.

“Having worked as a botanical illustrator at Kew Gardens for almost 10 years, I’m really thrilled to be showcasing these new paintings in a place which is very special to me, collaborating with Dr Shahina Ghazanfar on this unique project.”

Maria Devaney, galleries and exhibition leader at RBG Kew, said: “It’s wonderful to be able to welcome these two pioneering artists to the Shirley Sherwood Gallery Of Botanical Art.

“Whist their working styles vary hugely in terms of technique, both share a profound connection to nature, recognising the breadth of inspiration which can be drawn from the world around us.”

All the Flowers are for Me and Plants of the Quran are on show from Saturday April 1 to Sunday September 17.