With Phyto-Travellers, artist Eva-Maria Lopez presents a newly conceived installation at ZKM | Kubus Subraum dedicated to the migration history of so-called neophytes – plants that were introduced from other regions of the world and culturally appropriated in the course of colonial expansion and botanical exploration.
The work forms a spacious garden that also serves as a living archive, revealing the close connection between natural and cultural history. The starting point is Christopher Columbus’ historic voyage in 1492, after which numerous plants such as corn, tomatoes and potatoes arrived in Europe. Since then, plants introduced from other regions have been referred to as neophytes – ‘new plants’.
Originally, these were predominantly useful plants that were deliberately spread in the course of colonisation. Later, ornamental plants were added, which were collected and imported by researchers and so-called plant hunters because of their beauty or exoticism. Plants such as rhododendron, cherry laurel and bamboo reflect not only global plant migration, but also fashion trends and ideals of different eras of garden design. At the same time, the installation addresses the ecological challenges posed by invasive neophytes in the age of climate change and globalised trade.
A special focus is placed on the cultural appropriation and renaming of many plants that lost their original names during their travels. For example, the camellia, originally from Asia and known there for thousands of years as cha or chai, was given its current name by the Swedish naturalist Carl von Linné in honour of the Jesuit priest Georg Joseph Kamel.
Phyto-Travellers expresses these aspects of symbolic violence and colonial history and shows how deeply rooted these plants have become in our gardens – often mistakenly perceived as native.
Further information and the complete programme can be found here.
