Planet’s natural wonders take root in gallery’s new show

Featuring work by artists including Emma Talbot, Noémie Goudal, Yan Wang Preston, SHARP, Jane Lawson, Aliyah Hussain and Charmaine Watkiss, the exhibition features large scale textile works, ceramics, drawings, photography, and film.

Inviting visitors to imagine what humans could learn from plants, rather than how they can be used or exploited, Plant Dreaming celebrates the power of nature as a source of healing and global connections within the context of the current climate crisis.

The exhibition brings together local, national and international perspectives including Aliyah Hussain, whose installation connects her experience living with flooding in the Calder Valley with the floodplains created by the construction of the Mangla Dam in Pakistan.

Yan Wang Preston’s work focuses on the plant Rhododendron Ponticum, considered an invader in the UK but revered in its native China. 

Yorkshire-born and Cornwall-based artist SHARP’s photographic works highlight their experiences growing up in Bradford under Section 28, which prohibited local authorities from promoting homosexuality or teaching about it in maintained schools, while Jane Lawson’s textiles imagine a utopian future beyond the climate crisis.

Also featured are Emma Talbot’s striking large-scale paintings on silk, which celebrate the medicinal uses of plants, while Charmaine Watkiss’ work draws on her interest in traditional knowledges and cross-generational exchange, inspired by plants of the Caribbean.

Jane Bhoyroo, Principal Keeper at Leeds Art Gallery, said: “We are thrilled to feature enthralling artworks by artists connected with Yorkshire and the North of England, together with internationally renowned artists in this new exhibition.

“This cross-disciplinary show reimagines our relationship with the living world and draws on the breadth of our outstanding collections including plant specimens from natural sciences to the recent acquisition of a major drawing by Charmaine Watkiss.”

Councillor Salma Arif, Leeds City Council’s executive member for adult social care, active lifestyles and culture, said: “These beautiful depictions of the natural world encapsulate the unique power which nature has to inspire creativity as well as the importance of acknowledging our connection to the world around us.

“Exhibitions like this one have a hugely important role to play in both inspiring visitors and encouraging us to think more about our role in protecting and preserving the planet for future generations.”

Plant Dreaming runs alongside ‘Don’t Let’s Ask for the Moon…’: Nocturnes and Atkinson Grimshaw, an exhibition celebrating moonlit works of the popular Leeds artist.

Plant Dreaming opens at Leeds Art Gallery today, Friday, November 14 and runs until April 19, 2026. The exhibition is accompanied by an extensive programme of related events. Leeds Art Gallery is a Give What You Can gallery.

For more information on Plant Dreaming, please visit: Plant Dreaming | Leeds Museums and Galleries | Days out and exhibitions

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