Diasporae, 2021-2022

The work Diasporae (2021) explores a non-linear perspective on species migration and the botany of desire. The main protagonist is the fragrant nutmeg spice and its environment, such as the nutmeg pigeon, tropical rainforests, the Dutch VOC, trade explorers, colonial narrations, exoticism, the legends around the spices, and the exploitation going along with the lucrative colonial economic system. Diasporae merges fantastical tales, a video exploring botanical reproduction, time lapses, herbal seduction, seed dispersals, plant migration and two large drawings depicting the violent spice history we take for granted and the legends of the Pausengi tree and the mythical creature Garuda, displayed in a Sino-Indonesian colonial style wedding bed wherein hundreds of fragrant mace float in the air, supported by ventilators installed in the bed frame. The complex installation allows various readings and functions like a roundabout with multiple ways of sense making, or an attempt how to approach other then human and Eurocentric views on historical narratives or becoming “diasporic”.

Mixed media installation n.b.k., Berlin, Germany, 2022 Curated by: Michaela Richter and Layla Burger-Lichtenstein ICA at NYU Shanghai, 2021 Curated By: Anna-Sophie Springer & Etienne Turpin Photo Credit: Zhu Zhenyu (ICA, NYU) name (n.b.k.)