The term "botanicals" generally refers to substances, extracts, or plant-based materials derived directly from plants. Valued for their natural aromas, flavors, and therapeutic properties, botanicals encompass a broad category of materials used across a wide range of industries, from holistic medicine and skincare to food and beverage production. Their intended purpose is closely tied to concepts of health and well-being, addressing both physical and psychological dimensions of human experience.
As a contemporary art exhibition, "Botanicals" expands upon the term's highly functional scientific, medical, and therapeutic associations, extending them into the realm of art while raising questions about the symbiotic relationship between humans and plant life.
The exhibition does not adhere to the scientific frameworks of botany or phytology. Nor does it operate solely within an aesthetic framework; rather, it moves beyond conventional understandings of beauty as defined by the formal and sensory qualities of organic forms found in nature—qualities that emerge with particular resonance and symbolic depth in artistic representations of plant life.
The works in the exhibition engage with central concepts of contemporary art, including perception, sensory aesthetics, visual form, and critical thought.