Filipino-Swiss-owned Mondejar Gallery, based in Zurich, has partnered with two Czech private firms in an exhibition project, a unique outdoor installation exhibit of ancient subfossil oak trees—dubbed as the Forest of Civilizations—displayed prominently at the 6-month-long Expo 2025 in Osaka, Japan.
This internationally acclaimed standalone exhibit features 133 pieces of subfossil oak trees, remarkably preserved underground for 6,500 years since the Ice Age.
These ancient oak trees, found over eight meters deep in the ground, were extracted seven years ago, embedded within glacial sediments in the North Moravia region of the modern Czech Republic. The preserved annual rings of the tree trunks offered insights, with the use of modern technology, into thousands of years of climate patterns, land shifts, and natural phenomena.
Minerva Mondejar Steiner, Filipino-Swiss founder of Mondejar Gallery, appreciates the significance of these trees in the journey of time and connection among nations in the world through culture and the arts, thus she decided to join a partnership venture for the Forest of Civilizations exhibit, which even bid for inclusion into the Guinness Book of World Records.
So, when the 2025 World Expo in Osaka, Japan opened its doors in March 2025, visitors were greeted by an extraordinary sight—towering oak trees from the deep past, preserved in subfossil condition, standing as silent purveyors of civilization’s epic, through millennia until the present.
Minerva, filled with a quiet pride in the uniqueness of the exhibit, stated, “These trees represent history, resilience, and the continuity of life.” Her Mondejar Gallery, renowned for featuring art and heritage as pathways for global dialogue, viewed this project as an opportunity to create a living monument that connects the life of Mother Nature between past and present civilizations, inspiring artists and scientists worldwide.
MONUMENTAL ARTIFACTS
For Minerva and her partners, the decision to bring these monumental artifacts — both natural wonders and cultural relics — into the world stage was a personal and professional undertaking. The subfossil oak installation (Forest of Civilizations) at Expo 2025 turned out to be more than a visual marvel: Each of the ton-heavy tree trunks was offered as a representation of a country interested in participating.
The response from many countries was overwhelmingly favorable. Besides the United Nations itself, among the countries that responded to the call for selecting one oak tree to represent a country, included the Czech Republic itself where the ancient trees were found, Belgium, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Norway, Monaco, Lithuania, Armenia, Columbia, Canada, United States of America, Japan, Thailand, and the Philippines, the birthplace of Minerva.
Each tree was symbolically dedicated to a participating country and, with more than a hundred tree trunks, a unique forest of subfossil oaks was created, representing unity among countries in heritage, art, environmental awareness, and collaboration.
The “selected” tree is named after the country that chose it, and marked with a metal QR code engraved with the name of the selecting country. This code contains a specially curated message from that country, featuring a timeless statement that honors the past, commits to a sustainable future, and fosters harmonious interactions among civilizations.
Minerva, who has been an advocate for global environmental protection, initiated the Philippines’ official participation in the Forest, with a ceremony held on June 21, coinciding with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr’s official visit to the Expo in Osaka. She introduced the Philippine delegation to Forest project director Thomas Thomáš Rothschein who, in turn, assisted them in selecting which trunk the country would sponsor.
Tessa Prieto-Valdes, a Filipino cultural advocate and philanthropist, was tasked with selecting and labeling one of the subfossil tree trunks on behalf of the country. She went on to pick one among the hundred trunks, which she later described as “the most dramatic,” and one that “truly reflects the country’s unity in diversity.”
A month later, on July 22, Maria Margarita Montemayor Nograles, CEO of the Tourism Promotions Board, and secretary-general of the Philippine Organizing Committee, led the symbolic tree-naming ceremony of the chosen tree. Inscribed in its QR code reads: “This tree stands here in honour of the Philippines.”
Forest project lead Rothschein declared: “We are honoured to welcome the Philippines into the Forest of Civilizations. This act represents a message of unity between nature, history, and humanity.”
INTERWOVEN IDENTITIES OF NATION
Minerva of Mondejar Gallery said Philippines’ participation in the Forest confirms the country’s commitment to diplomacy and collaboration among nations. “We believe that art can be a powerful vehicle for connection. This initiative is not just about ancient trees; it is about listening to the stories they hold and sharing them with the world.”
For Switzerland, the commissioner general of its Pavilion at the Expo, selected its country’s tree from among the hundreds in the Forest. The Swiss Pavilion, which showcases more than 23 pioneering projects, issued a statement that the country commits to improving lives, protecting the planet, and advancing science, which design the future into one global root system. In joining the Forest project, Switzerland affirms its advocacy to addressing environmental challenges and fostering global collaboration towards a sustainable future.
Tens of thousands of international visitors flocked to the Forest exhibit surrounded by pavilions of respective countries joining the Expo 2025 in Osaka, which bears a fitting theme: “Defining Future Society for our Lives.”
The Forest of Civilization, scheduled to officially end this October, has been encouraging visitors to look beyond national boundaries. Expo 2025 in Osaka serves as a unique platform for experiencing global unity, appreciating history, and fostering a proactive approach to caring for the planet we all share.
Minerva and her gallery’s multiple global partners reminded the world that culture, art, and nature are all part of the same domain of interwoven identities of nations. The Forest of Civilizations is both a milestone of art history and a confirmation that diverse civilizations can live as one, concludes Minerva.
