About

Explore a brand new exhibition from leading contemporary artist Marc Quinn at Kew Gardens this spring and summer.

Light into Life brings together stunning outdoor sculptures and installations across the Gardens, along with a presentation of artworks in the Shirley Sherwood Gallery of Botanical Art. 

Building on Marc Quinn’s long-standing interest in nature and the human experience, this exhibition will be a source of inspiration and reflection during your visit.

What’s on

Light into Life features more than 20 newly-conceived artworks that Marc Quinn has developed in close collaboration with Kew scientists and horticulturists. Significant plants from across our collections have inspired his works. 

There will be plenty to discover, including a series of new sculptural portraits of palm leaves, drawing on Bismarck and Sabal palms found in Kew’s 170-year-old Palm House, as well as large-scale sculptures based on Herbarium specimens of medicinal plants.

Alongside these new commissions will be a selection of existing artworks, displayed in the Shirley Sherwood Gallery of Botanical Art. This evocative display will include Origin of Species, created in 1993 – a frozen self-portrait made of coconut water sourced from palm trees.