A fence is a fence is a fence - to break
The exhibition a fence is a fence is a fence – to break traces the journeys of plants and seeds that have traveled to Europe across oceans and continents, hidden in pockets, fabrics, or the soles of shoes. These botanical traces speak of movement, appropriation, and colonial histories that continue to shape landscapes, gardens, and border regimes today. At its core, the exhibition reflects on how power, migration, and control are inscribed in relationships between humans and the natural world, where the fence appears both as a boundary and a site of growth, simultaneously a political tool and a space of possibility.
A hand-shaped wire fence, formed without repetition, resists industrial uniformity and evokes organic, plant-like structures. Fragile and permeable, it proposes a counter-image to rigid borders. Ceramic shoes, transformed into vessels, carry plants from the exhibition site and point to unnoticed forms of migration, echoing histories of displacement and colonial movement. A table becomes a central place of gathering, where food, tea, and text invite visitors to share, listen, and reflect collectively. Texts engage with human–plant relationships and question categories such as “invasive” or “weed,” while a tea made from overlooked plants activates sensory experience and exchange.
A speculative sound work by Ihab Khelfa connects the space, approaching the inaudible process of a seed’s growth beyond human perception. Cast in tin, seeds lose their capacity to germinate, fixing potential into permanence and shifting monumentality toward the small and fragile. The exhibition unfolds as a poetic and political invitation to rethink borders, belonging, care, and coexistence, foregrounding movement not as a threat but as a fundamental condition of life.
COMPANION
Ceramic (glazed), dried plants
COMPANION
Ceramic (glazed), dried plants, 33 x 29 x 35 cm, 2026
COMPANION
Ceramic (glazed), dried plants
COMPANION
Ceramic (glazed), dried plants
FENCE
Wire, paper, 270 x 460 cm, 2026
