In the essay collection "Orwell's Roses", author Rebecca Solnit describes George Orwell's way of seeing and creating a better world as an antidote to totalitarian or anti-democratic structures. His life was a backlash against the colonial and industrial exploitation his family faced. The artists in this exhibition have been partly inspired by Solnit's thoughts in their works, and the book became a mirror to see connections between the different artistry. There is of course no requirement to read the book to take in the exhibition.
Planting roses and fruit trees can be interpreted as an act of reconciliation and reconciliation. Solnit links Orwell's thoughts and actions to the complex challenges of our time, and clarifies how these originate or are linked in a capitalist logic where colonial structures prevail. According to her, the structure of modernism is characterized by invisibility and unconsciousness. Her poetic resistance is rooted in making connections visible. She clarifies that how we imagine, interact with and influence plants, nature and gardens is inescapably political. Whoever owns land has the opportunity to exercise influence and use assets for other investments, which in turn can lead to even greater influence in other contexts.
A tree carries confidence in the future and is a tangible manifestation of hope. It is also a living witness or memory of the past that is otherwise out of reach. In a similar way, stones can act as a witness to an original time, an original place in the lake and make us humble before and anchored in time.
