Botanical Turn: How Contemporary Art Embraces Plant Life
A fresh movement in contemporary art emphasizes the significance of plant life, motivated by ecological concerns and challenges to human-centered perspectives. Artists such as Alexandra Daisy Ginsberg, showcased at the Serpentine Gallery and Vitra, produce pieces that engage with plant processes. The 2024 Paris exhibition 'A Non-History of Plants,' curated by Victoria Aresheva and Clothilde Morette, spotlighted the 'Botanical Turn' and included works by Ali Kazma, Almudena Romero, and Gohar Dashti. In 2025, the Serpentine Gallery will unveil a pavilion designed by Marina Tabassum, intended as a greenhouse. Artists like Precious Okoyomon and Ugo Schiavi explore the harmful aspects of plants, while Yasmine Ostendorf-Rodriguez and Anicka Yi delve into fungi. The 2025 Venice Architecture Biennale, overseen by Carlo Ratti, will further investigate nature-urban connections. Influences include Rosi Braidotti, Donna Haraway, Ana Mendieta, and Agnes Denes.
Key facts
- Botanical Turn refers to contemporary art's focus on plant life and vegetal processes.
- A Non-History of Plants exhibition took place in Paris in 2024, curated by Victoria Aresheva and Clothilde Morette.
- Serpentine Gallery's 2025 temporary pavilion by Marina Tabassum will be a greenhouse for humans and plants.
- Alexandra Daisy Ginsberg creates algorithm-based installations for pollinators, shown at Serpentine and Vitra.
- Precious Okoyomon used invasive vines at the 2022 Venice Biennale to reference slavery.
- Ugo Schiavi's installation at the 2024 Lyon Biennale featured reclaiming weeds in an abandoned natural history museum.
- Theoretical influences include Rosi Braidotti, Donna Haraway, Timothy Morton, Stefano Mancuso, and Giovanni Aloi.
- Historical precedents include Ana Mendieta's Siluetas, Agnes Denes's wheat fields, and Rirkrit Tiravanija's The Land.
- Yasmine Ostendorf-Rodriguez published 'Let's Become Fungal' in 2023, focusing on fungi and climate collapse.
- Anicka Yi works with spores and meta-spores, exploring their beauty and danger.
- Italy's 'Bright Ecologies' exhibition and 'Art for Radical Ecologies' manifesto were published in 2024.
- The 2025 Venice Architecture Biennale, curated by Carlo Ratti, will address nature-urban networks.
Entities
Artists
- Alexandra Daisy Ginsberg
- Ali Kazma
- Almudena Romero
- Angelika Roderer
- Gohar Dashti
- Agnieszka Polska
- Marina Tabassum
- Precious Okoyomon
- Ugo Schiavi
- Spela Petric
- Rashid Johnson
- Daniel Steegmann Mangrané
- Hubert Duprat
- Ana Mendieta
- Agnes Denes
- Meg Webster
- Rirkrit Tiravanija
- Christiane Lohr
- René Gabri
- Ayreeen Anastas
- Marjetica Potrč
- Yasmine Ostendorf-Rodriguez
- Francisca Alvarez Sánchez
- Carolina Caycedo
- Annalee Davis
- Sofia Gallisá Muriente
- Anicka Yi
- Caretto/Spagna
- Richard Long
- Hamish Fulton
- Nancy Holt
- Michael Heizer
- James Turrell
- Walter De Maria
- Robert Smithson
- Joseph Beuys
- Wolfgang Laib
- Patrick Blank
- Angela Vettese
- Victoria Aresheva
- Clothilde Morette
- Lucia Pietroiusti
- Filipa Ramos
- Carlo Ratti
- Henry David Thoreau
- Tim Jackson
- Rosi Braidotti
- Donna Haraway
- Timothy Morton
- Stefano Mancuso
- Giovanni Aloi
- Bertolino
- Comisso
- Guida
- Pioselli
- Baravalle
- Braga
- Riccio
- Timeto
- Voltaire
Institutions
- Serpentine Gallery
- Vitra
- Venice Biennale
- Lyon Biennale
- documenta
- dOCUMENTA(13)
- Hauser & Wirth
- MIT
- Artforum
- Artribune
- Parliament of the European Union
Locations
- Paris
- France
- London
- United Kingdom
- Weil am Rhein
- Germany
- Basel
- Switzerland
- Venice
- Italy
- Lyon
- New York
- United States
- Milan
- Amsterdam
- Netherlands