Only Tree Knows, a groundbreaking exhibition of nature-inspired art, runs from May 1 to Aug 31 at the Shanghai Natural History Museum. CHINA DAILY

Step into the temporary exhibition hall on B1 of the Shanghai Natural History Museum, and a field of all-black metal flowers appears to bloom in silence on one side of the gallery. Hand-cut from metal sheets, they precisely replicate the forms of eight flowers, including roses, lilies and foxgloves, yet stripped of all natural hues — their hollow black silhouettes echo the rigorous structure of plant specimens in scientific illustrations.

These black silhouettes encapsulate the core theme of Only Tree Knows, a groundbreaking natural art exhibition.

Jointly organized by the Shanghai Natural History Museum and the Pudong Biyun Art Museum, the exhibition runs from May 1 to Aug 31. It brings together 22 works by 12 domestic and international artists, engaging in a cross-contextual dialogue with the museum's natural specimens to explore the profound theme of forest ecology and human coexistence.

"We collide the taxonomic research of science with the perceptual imagination of art, not to provide answers to ecological issues, but to help the public rediscover the hidden connections of nature," says curator Guo Xiaohui.

Breaking away from the one-way instruction of traditional science popularization, the cross-disciplinary exhibition takes forests as its core framework, connecting the above-ground vegetation realm and the underground mycelial network through specimens, installations, light and shadow, sound, AI-generated art, and other types of multimedia.

"Many people are used to viewing specimens but forget that forests are living; many love art yet rarely reflect on the ecological propositions behind it. We hope visitors can reread the story of forests with both rationality and sensibility," Guo adds.

As one of the exhibition's signature works, Zadok Ben-David's Black Flowers condenses plant forms into an existence between specimen and illusion, confronting the imbalance in the relationship between humans and nature.

"I paint these enlarged flowers black, not for beauty, but as a warning. Artists don't have solutions, but we can raise questions to make people rethink and protect nature," he states.

Only Tree Knows, a groundbreaking exhibition of nature-inspired art, runs from May 1 to Aug 31 at the Shanghai Natural History Museum. CHINA DAILY

A universal symbol of both joy and sorrow, flowers are reimagined in black to turn natural representation into ecological reflection, prompting viewers to re-examine their place in the natural world.

Black Flowers is an extension of Ben-David's landmark Blackfield series, marking the classic body of work's first large-scale presentation in China. The artist notes that the series is a monumental project spanning 12 to 15 years: "My first installation, Blackfield, has 30,000 miniature flowers of 900 species, displayed with black side first and color revealed later, which is a metaphor for life with both tragedy and joy."

Ben-David adds: "This exhibition is necessary because it allows people to feel and think about nature in a new way, which is crucial for the current ecological environment."

Echoing this message is Rodrigo Arteaga's site-specific work Fallen Tree. Crafted from Shanghai's native tree branches and completed over a month in the museum, it is paired with his other piece, Monocultures — burnt paper sheets that capture the damage caused by ecological simplification. Together, the two works convey that the forest is not a static entity, but a dynamic space of constant connection, transformation and imbalance.

"You don't see the actual plant, but rather you see the absence, and the way of making it remembers or comes back to the forest fires that happen every year in Chile and in other places," Arteaga explains.

Two Chinese artists also joined the exhibition. Wang Yuyang of the Central Academy of Fine Arts explores the "third nature" in the technological age through Plant 002 and Biological Klein Blue, employing AI algorithms and microbial techniques; Liu Zhenchen's Panacea series captures traces of medicinal plants on canvas, imbuing natural textures with a therapeutic quality.

Ninety percent of the works are making their Shanghai debut and their first appearance at the natural history museum. The exhibition also integrates 290,000 forest-related specimens from the museum's collection, forging a cross-temporal dialogue between artistic creation and natural heritage.