After The Garden

After The Garden is an ongoing photography series that reimagines botanical gardens and conservatories as the last refuges of a vanishing natural world.

Environmental destruction—accelerated by climate change, wildfires, and drought—has placed countless native plant species at risk of extinction. If this trajectory continues, many of the plants we now encounter in botanical gardens will disappear from their natural habitats altogether. While public awareness often focuses on visible consequences of climate change such as extreme weather, pollution, and the decline of animal populations, the devastating impact on indigenous plants remains less recognized. This project seeks to heighten awareness of what is at stake, revealing how the loss of plant life will echo across ecosystems, human communities, and the health of the planet.

The history of botanical gardens reflects humanity’s shifting relationship with nature. First established in the 16th century as research sites for medicinal plants, they later became symbols of wealth and prestige, before evolving into centers for scientific study, conservation, and public education. In this way, they have long mirrored societal values, continuously reshaping their roles across time.

Today, botanical gardens and conservatories serve as vital sanctuaries for species preservation, offering the public access to rare plants and ecosystems that would otherwise be out of reach. Yet they are also artificial environments where plants survive only under human care. They embody both places of education and conservation, and a vision of a possible future where the natural world exists only within controlled enclosures.

Through a historical photographic processes and a distinctive approach, my aim is to underscore this tension. This ongoing project asks audiences to reconsider these familiar spaces, to recognize the warnings they carry, and to take action before the living world is confined behind glass.