The Plant That Stowed Away

Through art in the Tate Collection, The Plant that Stowed Away traces the connections between the trading history of cities like Liverpool and the global movements of plants and people.

This display is inspired by the Weeds of Wallasey series by Wirral-born photographer Chris Shaw which highlights the battle between nature and the post-industrial landscape of the area where he grew up.

The Plant that Stowed Away builds on the narratives in Shaw’s imagery, drawing attention to the extraction and shipping of plants and other products of trade. It highlights how urban and natural environments have been changed by industrialisation, colonisation, and migration.

Atkinson Grimshaw’s well known painting Liverpool Quay by Moonlight and prints depicting Liverpool’s docks from William Daniell’s book, A Voyage Round Great Britain show the early impacts of trade on the city.

The display includes collage by French modernist Henri Matisse, the Afro-futurist photography of Cristina de Middel, Turner Prize-nominated artist Delaine Le Bas’s textile work and Kader Attia’s caustic film exploring our relationship with oil and sugar.