Soil and Friends at PLATO Ostrava: 10th Anniversary Exhibition Explores Soil as Partner
Soil and Friends, a significant exhibition at PLATO Ostrava, will be open until 13 September 2026, in partnership with the Ujazdowski Castle Centre for Contemporary Art in Warsaw. Curated by Marianna Dobkowska and Edith Jeřábková, it showcases approximately thirty artists working in diverse mediums. The exhibition conceptualizes soil as a vibrant community and explores regenerative agriculture, emphasizing its importance in carbon storage and water retention. A field guide titled Toxic Dust was developed for Ostrava by architect Rosario Talevi and geologist Jan Lenart. Additionally, the exhibition features a pocket garden designed by architects Małgorzata Kuciewicz and Simone De Iacobis, linking to PLATO's permaculture garden, and celebrates PLATO's 10th anniversary, building on past initiatives like Heroic vs. Holistic (2017).
Key facts
- Soil and Friends is open at PLATO Ostrava until 13 September 2026.
- The exhibition is a joint project of PLATO Ostrava, thirty artists, and the Ujazdowski Castle Centre for Contemporary Art in Warsaw.
- Curators are Marianna Dobkowska and Edith Jeřábková.
- The first part of the exhibition took place last year in Warsaw.
- The project marks the 10th anniversary of PLATO's existence.
- The field guide Toxic Dust was created by Berlin-based architect Rosario Talevi and Ostrava-based geologist Jan Lenart.
- Artist Dávid Koronczi composted books, and the compost was used in flowerbeds; local grower Zdeněk Seidl provided plants, including the iris variety Galerie Plato.
- The Keyhole room becomes a "pocket garden" designed by CENTRALA (Małgorzata Kuciewicz and Simone De Iacobis), to be maintained for two years.
Entities
Artists
- Marianna Dobkowska
- Edith Jeřábková
- Rosario Talevi
- Jan Lenart
- Dávid Koronczi
- Zdeněk Seidl
- Małgorzata Kuciewicz
- Simone De Iacobis
- Daniela Dostálková
- Linda Dostálková
- Eva Koťátková
- Marie Boková
- Julia Ciunowicz
- Polina Davydenko
- Yoeri Guépin
- Ingela Ihrman
- Yana Kononova
- Denisa Langrová
- Judita Levitnerová
- Kateřina Žák Konvalinová
- Barbora Lungová
- Lenka Škutová
- Krzysztof Maniak
- Deirdre O'Mahony
- Julia Ábalos Reznak
- Elisabeth von Samsonow
- Alex Sihelsk*
- Salka Tiziana
- Ana Vaz
- Ewelina Węgiel
- Kryštof Zvolánek
Institutions
- PLATO Ostrava
- Ujazdowski Castle Centre for Contemporary Art
- CENTRALA
- PLATO
- Centrala
- Dva ospalí vlci (Two Sleepy Wolves)
- Sounding Soil
- Zabriskie Buchladen für Kultur und Natur
- NEWEAST
Locations
- Ostrava
- Czech Republic
- Warsaw
- Poland
- Berlin
- Germany