The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) and Saatchi Gallery continue their partnership and will present the 2022 RHS Botanical Art and Photography Show this April.
Following the success of the 2021 edition, the annual exhibition will return this Spring and will showcase new work from leading botanical artists and photographers across three galleries.
Entries for the show have been through a meticulous pre-selection process, where the scientific accuracy, technical skill and aesthetic appeal of the work is reviewed by an expert judging panel prior to the show opening, with artists and photographers awarded RHS Gold, Silver-Gilt, Silver and Bronze medals, as well as a series of special awards including ‘Best Botanical Art Exhibit’ and ‘Judge’s Special Award’.
In 2022, a diverse range of subjects will be presented by participants ranging from plants that have grown in the wake of the 2011 Great East Japan Tsunami to Rosulate Violas found at the height of the Andes Mountains. In addition, native British trees and hedgerow plants will complement illustrations of beautiful garden flowers. Anatomical drawings reveal the structure and form of some of our garden favourites, alongside explorations of the ecological and economic significance of many familiar fruits and flowers.
New photography entries include stereographic panoramas from various locations in the Hampshire New Forest and macro photography capturing the details of tiny Holly Parachute fungi. Flat lay photography of winter garden buds examines how different plants flourish, with multiple entries exploring rainbow themes across image series.
Former Gold medal winning exhibitors will also show their work alongside artists participating in the 2022 exhibition for the first time.
Last year’s award-winning exhibits included the delicately executed ‘Native British Deciduous Trees Featuring Galls’ by Pauleen Trim and the stunningly rendered ‘Endemic Plants of Japan’s Ogasawara Islands, A UNESCO Natural World Heritage Site’ from Kimiko Miyahara, setting a high standard of skill and creative flair. Gold awards for photography included Francesca Wilkinson’s ‘Full Circle – Studies of Cyclamen coum and Cyclamen hederifolium’, using varied focus for dreamy vanishing forms.
The show is a highlight in the calendar of the RHS Lindley Library, complementing its extensive collection of botanical artworks, photographs and illustrations which include more than 30,000 works.
