TWO plant-themed exhibitions with contemporary twists have recently opened at Pingshan Exhibition Gallery.

‘Van Gogh’s Flowers’

Vincent van Gogh’s deep admiration for nature was a constant source of inspiration. Flowers — seen in works from his iconic “Sunflowers” to “Irises” — feature prominently in his oeuvre. “Van Gogh’s Flowers,” presented by Pingshan Exhibition Gallery in collaboration with the New York Botanical Garden, pairs Van Gogh’s masterpieces with contemporary reinterpretations to explore the artist’s relationship with the natural world and the sensory contexts in which he worked.

Blending art, technology, and botanical aesthetics, the exhibition showcases the New York Botanical Garden’s research and sparks a cross-cultural dialogue linking East and West across artistic and ecological themes.

From illuminating sculptures inspired by “Sunflowers” to an interactive starry sky evoking “The Starry Night,” each gallery integrates Van Gogh’s narrative imagery with contemporary artists’ bold innovations. A special section reveals Eastern aesthetic influences in Van Gogh’s art through soundscapes and light installations, with compositions and color rhythms reimagined in striking multimedia works.

The New York Botanical Garden also presents botanical manuscripts, while Pingshan Library displays books from past Pingshan Natural History Book Award laureates. Together, these exhibits prompt visitors to ask: In the digital age, how can we rebuild intimate connections with nature? How can multi-layered immersive experiences help us rediscover biodiversity, reawaken senses dulled by urban life, and inspire care for the natural world?

Throughout the exhibitions’ run, a series of public programs — plant-art workshops, lectures on ecological aesthetics, and more — will invite audiences to pause amid the bustle of everyday life, rediscover the gifts of nature, and explore new possibilities for harmonious coexistence between humans and other living things.

‘Digital Botanical Garden’

“Digital Botanical Garden” is the second installment in the “Digital Archipelagos” series, presented in the Pingshan Exhibition Gallery’s PSEG Digital Hall. As a subvenue of the 10th Bi-city Biennale of Urbanism/Architecture (Shenzhen), the show draws on records of nearly 2,800 plant species in Pingshan District to explore sustainable urban development through the integration of technology, art, and architecture.

The exhibition brings together 29 artists and collectives from China, the U.S., France, Russia, and elsewhere, presenting works in video, interactive installation, AI-generated art, and soundscape. It reimagines the botanical garden as a digital framework that weaves scientific classification, architectural planning, and the aesthetics of life.

Why must humans grow upward like trees? Is there another mode of existence that is freer and more creative? The exhibition invites reflection on connection amid difference as the boundaries between nature and the digital realm gradually blur. Through moving images and sound, narratives of land, memory, and seasonal change unfold, prompting meditations on presence and disappearance.

From ancient botanical specimens and local archives to contemporary ecological records, the exhibition traces the history of how people have perceived, classified, and written about nature. It asks viewers to reconsider how we should reconstruct our intellectual and ethical relationship with the natural world in the digital age.

Dates: Through April 19

Hours: 10 a.m.-6 p.m., closed Mondays

Venue: Pingshan Exhibition Gallery, Pingshan District (坪山区坪山展览馆)

Metro: Line 14 to Pingshan Center Station (坪山中心站), Exit D2(Cao Zhen)