David Nash: A Natural Gallery at Kew Gardens

In a career spanning 40 years, David Nash has carved over 2,000 sculptures from wood, many of them monumental in scale. After carving, some pieces are then partially burned to produce a charred surface. His main tools are a chainsaw and an axe to carve the wood, and then fire to char it. Through his work, Nash has gained a deep understanding of the properties of trees. The artistic process itself is, for Nash, deeply collaborative – between the artist, his material, and the natural world. He adopts a responsive and adaptable approach, allowing nature to dictate the direction that his creations will take. This approach is reflected in the character of this exhibition as a whole – the viewing experience will change and evolve from visit to visit, due to the nature of the materials used, the changing seasons that shape and colour Kew Gardens so dramatically, and the display of new work, that will be created on site throughout the course of the exhibition.