GARDENERS OF EDEN
NoonPowell Fine Art is pleased to present Gardeners of Eden, a major solo exhibition of new paintings by British artist Claire Milner, exploring biodiversity, ecology and humanity’s relationship with the natural world.
Bringing together a remarkable body of work developed over the past two years, the exhibition draws on the traditions of landscape painting while responding to the ecological realities of the present. Through richly layered surfaces, forests, oceans and wildlife emerge gradually, inviting viewers into landscapes where species, habitat and atmosphere are intricately connected.
At the heart of the exhibition is a landmark collaboration with American artist and land conservationist Dr. Haley Mellin and the artist-founded nonprofit Art into Acres. Through the sale of Milner’s painting The Hidden and the Revealed, Claire Milner and NoonPowell Fine Art will donate 100% of proceeds to support tropical forest conservation in Suriname, with the donation amplified through matching conservation funds.
The initiative is connected with the Saamaka Community Conserved Area in Suriname, encompassing approximately 720,000 hectares of tropical forest under Saamaka leadership. Established in March 2026, the protected area represents an important community-led commitment to the long-term conservation of one of the world’s most biodiverse landscapes.
Reflecting on the collaboration, Dr. Haley Mellin, Founder of Art into Acres, says:
“The permanent protection of nature depends on unlikely partnerships. Claire's generosity, together with Noon Powell Fine Art and our conservation partners, demonstrates how the arts can help accelerate lasting protection for some of the world's most biodiverse and culturally significant landscapes.”
Other works in Gardeners of Eden explore distinct ecological narratives. Burning World considers landscapes shaped by rising temperatures and fire; A Fifty-Million-Year-Old Smile evokes an ancient continuity that feels precarious in the present; Anthropocene Twilight explores the rainforest through changing light and perception, while the exhibition’s title work, Gardeners of Eden, centres on elephants as keystone species whose movements shape forests and sustain biodiversity across entire ecosystems.
At a moment of profound ecological change, Gardeners of Eden invites us to look more closely at the intricate systems that connect all forms of life, celebrating the beauty, resilience and interconnectedness of the natural world while demonstrating how contemporary art can contribute meaningfully to its protection.
