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News > Culture

Mexico Unites People and Plants in Exhibition of Botanical Art

  • "Thirty replications are nothing if we take into account that Mexico has more than 3,000 endemic species," one expert said. | Photo: Facebook: CICYNM

Published 20 April 2018
Opinion

The World Exhibition of Botanical Art aims to 'unite plants and people through art,' and raise awareness of the need for more scientists to process the discovery of new species.

Mexico is set to be filled with flowers from around the globe as the World Exhibition of Botanical Art announces its decision to host the event at the Autonomous University of Chapingo next month.

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Over the course of four days, dozens of artists will display their masterpieces along the university's halls after Aaron Estrada Davila, president of the Collective of Illustrators of Science and Nature of Mexico (CICYNM), took the initiative and nominated Mexico to host the international event.

"We approached the World Exhibition in the United States and they asked us to have a place to exhibit the work, since it is done in two modalities: online and physically," Estrada said.

Despite minor difficulties finding a proper setting for the art show, the organization managed to snag a beautiful venue in the National Museum of Agriculture.

"There are approximately 30 countries: each one organizes an alternative event to the exhibition that is done online and in this edition the requirement is that they were works focused on endemic plants," Estrada said.

Museum-goers will experience an Amazonian art extravaganza, with plants from all over the world represented on canvases in an array of colors and styles.

Erika Parra, coordinator from the Diploma of Botanical Illustration of the Faculty of Arts and Design of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (FAD-UNAM), said: "In the works, the public will be able to see different types of endemic plants that we have in Mexico, such as cacti and orchids, which are in danger of extinction. In the case of orchids, they are very expensive and extremely difficult to grow."

Parra, also deputy director of Cultural Diffusion of the Autonomous University of Chapingo, explained that many of the artists were chosen for their depictions of endangered and endemic species unique to Mexico, as well as their unique healing abilities.

The World Exhibition of Botanical Art aims to 'unite plants and people through art,' but Parra says the event is also important in raising awareness of the need for botanists and researchers to handle the constant discovery of new plant species.

"Thirty replications are nothing if we take into account that Mexico has more than 3,000 endemic species, plants that do not exist in another country except in Mexico, and more than 32,000 species of vascular plants," she said.

At least 30 Mexican artists will be exhibiting their floral fantasies in the galleries both online and in Chapingo from May 18 to 26.

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