"Plants of the Qur’ān" Exhibition

The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

Shirley Sherwood Gallery of Botanical Art, Gallery 1 and 2
Saturday 1 April to Sunday 17 September 2023

From a tiny mustard seed to the majestic date palm, the exhibition showcases paintings from the book "Plants of the Qur’ān" that combines the skills of
the northern hemisphere senior Kew Botanist Dr Shahina Ghazanfar and southern hemisphere Botanical Illustrator Sue Wickison.

"After years of researching, sourcing and illustrating the many plants which are described in the Qur’ān, it’s wonderful to be able to celebrate the culmination of this work with this new exhibition. Having worked as a botanical illustrator at Kew Gardens for almost ten 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.” - Sue adds.

It is essential for the authenticity of the project to work from living material to ensure the level of accuracy required of all botanical illustration. Sue went to great lengths to achieve this goal and travelled to a number of countries including the United Arab Emirates from the Empty Quarter in Abu Dhabi, into the deserts in Sharjah and to remote mountain areas in Oman to see heritage varieties of plants that have been grown for generations. Observing and painting the plants in their natural environment ensured this level of accuracy and attention to detail for the illustrations of 'Plants of the Qur’an - History and Culture', written by Dr Shahina Ghazanfar and illustrated by Sue to be published by Kew Gardens June 2023.

VISITORS REVIEWS

Katherine Tyrrell, a writer who writes about art for artists and botanical art lovers.

"When the exhibition of botanical illustrations by Sue Wickison opened at Kew I visited it on three consecutive days - for two previews and then the video!

The third day was the morning before the exhibition opened to the public. The people who run the Shirley Sherwood Gallery of Botanical Art had very kindly agreed to open the gallery to Sue and me so we could make a video tour of the exhibition while Sue was in England. In it Sue Wickison introduces a number of the larger paintings in the exhibition.

It's particularly relevant to:

  • all those botanical art fans who cannot get to Kew to see the exhibition
  • all those interested in this significant ethnobotanical project who would like to hear more about her 30 large botanical illustrations covering the 25 plants highlighted in the Qur’ān;
  • how they were developed as part of a project over a period of years
  • features of individual paintings
  • interesting stories about finding the plants - and why it's always best to work from botanical specimens collected in the field.

View video Tour of the "Plants of the Qur’ān" Exhibition with Katherine Tyrrell

 

 Is'Haaq Jasat, Imam, Teacher,Author : "The Plants of the Qur'an exhibition was stunning, Masha'Allah! 😊

Today our school visited the Kew Gardens and explored the beautifully designed 'Plants of the Qur'an' exhibition, which is a world-premiere exhibition of 30 brand-new botanical paintings by artist Sue Wickison in collaboration with Kew scientist Dr Shahina Ghazanfar, who has researched and written Plants of the Qur’ān: History & Culture.

The artist Sue Wickison has documented and illustrated a myriad of plants from garlic and pomegranate to grapes and henna. Carefully selected Qur'anic verses are highlighted to show their significance in Islam.

Also, I managed to purchase a copy of the book: 'Plants of the Qur'an' and look forward to reading it soon.

The exhibition is a must visit and is going to be showcased until 17th September 2023."

Muhammad James, @The London Muslim" : "Sue's exhibition of paintings at Kew, featuring the plants mentioned in the Quran, attracted massive global attention. Our Instagram post on Sue's paintings is at a million views and our TikTok post is on half a million. Even though we have experience as the leading media source for Muslims in London, I was still very surprised by the huge interest within the Muslim community of the UK and from Muslims around the world. I believe the Plants of the Quran paintings have great potential for exhibition in other countries. "

Julie Notman: "Your work is inspirational - thank you. I visited the exhibition in Kew 8 weeks ago - it is a stunning achievement of skill, beauty, and knowledge - I encourage everyone to visit who can. I will definitely be purchasing your book when published."

Katja Katholing-Bloss, Botanical Artist & Tutor: "It’s a wonderful exhibition, with lots of beautiful paintings from Sue Wickison! It’s a MUST to see if you are in Kew. Thank you for this film explaining the process of this project and effort from all involved 😊🌸🎨"

Julia Ingram, artist : "Absolutely magnificent achievement & stunning artwork,"

Teresa Love: “Your exhibition at Kew was breathtaking!”

Lynn Ford: "Was lucky enough to see the exhibition at Kew Gardens when visiting from Australia…. It’s incredible"

I came to see the exhibition today, completely mesmerised by all the absolutely stunning paintings (and the colour studies!) - filled my heart with wonderment and joy!! Bought the book - packed with detail and gorgeous images. Ma sha Allah tabarak Allah 😍🌹💖

Lesley Alexander, Botanical Artist: It was a fabulous exhibition and so glad I got to see it in person! I have love following you on this journey and delighted you have had such a huge positive response to it! ❤️

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