Art@Said - Flourishing exhibition viewing

Registration on the day will take place at the Thatcher Business Education Centre building reception (adjacent to Oxford Train station). Please arrive there on the day.

Dates available:

• 23 and 24 June 12pm-1pm
• 28 and 29 July 12pm-1pm
• 25 and 26 August 12pm-1pm

Flourishing is rooted in collaboration. Developed with the University of Oxford’s Department of Biology and Oxford Botanic Garden, the exhibition features exquisite botanical watercolours from the Oxford Florilegium.

At the centre of the exhibition are the striking charcoal works of Dr Chris Thorogood, Associate Professor of Biology and Deputy Director of the Oxford Botanic Garden & Arboretum. His drawings emerge from field expeditions in search of Rafflesia, one of the world’s rarest and largest parasitic flowers.

In contrast, yet in compelling dialogue, Julia Thaxton’s paintings bring a bold contemporary energy. Working instinctively with nature, she embraces its unpredictability, allowing landscapes, weather and movement to shape her process. The result is a series of vivid, expressive works that pulse with colour and immediacy, inviting viewers to experience nature not as something observed, but something felt.

Together, these artists create a dynamic interplay between science and sensation, precision and intuition. It is a reminder that understanding the natural world requires both analysis and imagination.