Planted in the Body
29. 6. — 22. 8. 2021
Galerie MeetFactory
Artists: Nikola Brabcová (CZ)
& Alexandra Cihanská Machová (SK),
Laura Huertas Millán (CO), Suzanne Husky (FR/USA),
Saodat Ismailova (UZ), Emily Kame Kngwarreye (AU),
Uriel Orlow (CH/UK), Solange Pessoa (BR),
Luiza Prado de O. Martins (BR), Corinne Silva (UK),
Adéla Součková (CZ)
Curated by: Clelia Coussonnet, Tereza Jindrová
The group show Planted in the Body looks at soil, plants and their products – such as oils and pigments
– as sources and carriers of knowledge, and explores how their unique heritage has been transmitted
through the centuries.
Nikola Brabcová and Alexandra Cihanská Machová have created a new multimedia installation that
combines Nikola’s objects and video with a soundscape made by Alexandra. Nikola Brabcová departs
from her long-term interest in soil and environmentally friendly ways of producing artworks. In her instal-
lation Jara, she uses biomaterials (including bioplastic) that are biodegradable and have minimal impact
on the environment. Her artistic work manifests in her everyday life, simultaneously with her housework,
cooking and parenting. Therefore, she recycles and uses ordinary materials, even leftovers. She seeks a
result that is ephemeral and not definitive, a sculpture that shows its own processes. Alexandra, whose
work connects both the video and the objects, perceives sound as a vibration that goes through our
bodies/matter and changes us. At the same time, the deliberately intrusive presence of cables and other
technical devices reminds us that technology (and media such as sound or video) is not immaterial but
has a strong impact on our environment. In her video, Nikola shows an ordinary walk through the garden
of her mother-in-law. The grandmother explains to her grandson where food comes from, the different
roles played by insects and weeds, how compost works and also how crucial the legacy of previous gen-
erations is – here in the form of trees planted by the grandfather. The aim of this video is to think about
an agriculture and farming that is driven by love of nature, not exploitation, in which personal experience
and sensitive knowledge foster a respectful relation to plants.
✶✶✶✶✶
✶✶✶✶✶
