Arts & Cultural Exchange (ACE) proudly presents GUL Collective: Plant Stories in Threads, a new exhibition by the GUL Collective at the Garden Gallery, Royal Botanic Garden Sydney from 5–21 May 2025. Featuring intricate textile-based artworks, the exhibition explores plants and flowers as reflections on memory, place, and cultural connection.
Developed through a series of collaborative workshops, GUL Collective: Plant Stories in Threads brings together the work of the GUL Collective—a passionate group of artists and storytellers emerging from the Multicultural Women’s Hub, an initiative of ACE—who use traditional and contemporary textile techniques to evoke the textures, colours, and essence of flora significant to their individual and shared histories.
Yamane Fayed, Producer of the Multicultural Women’s Hub, said: “This exhibition is the result of a journey of shared storytelling and creative exploration. Over more than two years, the GUL Collective has unearthed deeply personal connections to plants, weaving together histories, languages, and cultural knowledge. It is a celebration of resilience, heritage, and artistic collaboration."
The exhibition emerged from a series of slow-making workshops led by artist Paula do Prado, where participants explored approaches to fibre and textile materials. These sessions fostered an exchange of cultural knowledges, informed by personal memories of homelands and complemented by visits to contemporary art exhibitions, Parramatta Park, and botanical tours at the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney and the Australian Botanic Garden Mount Annan.
Paula do Prado explained: "The creative process behind these works was just as important as the final pieces themselves. The workshops became spaces for exchange—between personal and cultural histories, contemporary and traditional textile techniques, and the past and present. The artworks reflect not only the significance of plants in our lives but also the way art can be a vessel for remembering, healing, and connecting."
The artworks draw inspiration from a rich array of plants and flowers, including Balloon Vine, Sacred Lotus, Jasmine, Camellia, and native species like Bunya Pine, Wollemi Pine, and Flowering Gums. Instead of traditional botanical illustrations, the pieces capture the essence of these plants through texture, form, and layered textile techniques, inviting a deeper, more tactile engagement with nature.
The exhibition will officially launch on Thursday 8 May, 11 am–1 pm at the Garden Gallery.
As part of the exhibition, a public program will be offered over two weekends as follows.
Gul Collective Guided Tours & Participatory Creative Textiles Sessions
Saturday 10 May
Session 1
11am – 11.30am Tour with the Gul Collective and Paula do Prado
11.30am – 12.30pm Participatory creative textiles with the Gul Collective and Paula do Prado
Session 2
2pm – 2.30pm Tour with the Gul Collective and Paula do Prado
2.30pm – 3.30pm Participatory creative textiles with the Gul Collective and Paula do Prado
Sunday 11 May - Mother ‘s Day Special
11am – 11.30am Tour with the Gul Collective and Paula do Prado sharing stories of mothers
11.30am – 12.30pm Participatory creative textiles with the Gul Collective and Paula do Prado
Saturday 17 May
Session 1
11am – 11.30am Tour with the Gul Collective and Paula do Prado
11.30am – 12.30pm Participatory creative textiles with the Gul Collective and Paula do Prado
Session 2
2pm – 2.30pm Tour with the Gul Collective and Paula do Prado
2.30pm – 3.30pm Participatory creative textiles with the Gul Collective and Paula do Prado
Sunday 18 May
11am – 11.30am Tour with the Gul Collective and Paula do Prado
11.30am – 12.30pm Participatory creative textiles with the Gul Collective and Paula do Prado
Registrations are essential for the public programs as numbers are strictly limited. For more information and to book tickets, visit: aceinc.org.au/whats-on/gul-collective-presents-plant-stories-in-thread/
ACE welcome First Nations communities as guests.
Event Details:
Dates: 5–21 May 2025
Times: 10AM - 4PM everyday
Location: The Garden Gallery, Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney
Cost: Free entry