Exhibit label from "Botannica Tyrannica"
Who has the right to name a plant, and who has been demonized by traditional plant names?
Last month, our team was invited to Koffler Arts to visit Botannica Tirannica, an exciting and dynamic
exhibition by award-winning Brazilian artist Giselle Beiguelman. Botannica Tirannica debuted in Sao Paolo in 2022 and is a response to Beiguelman’s research into the broader implications of botanical taxonomy used by European colonial powers to control narratives about Nature, to promote early modern capitalism, and to perpetuate prejudices and stereotypes about women and often-targeted minorities including Black, Indigenous, Jewish, Romani, and 2SLGBTQ+ people.
Interpretive Centre team members Nadine and Isabella visit the show
Botannica Tirannica harnesses the power of artificial intelligence to create images of reimagined plants, which are then positioned as resistant and resilient life forms in a post-natural garden. These images, displayed on retro television sets, stand as a powerful testament to the transformative potential of art, adjacent to live and growing plants with prejudicial names.
To situate the show in a Canadian context, Giselle Beiguelman worked with Anishinaabe scientist and professor Dr. Jonathan Ferrier and Black/Ojibwa knowledge keeper and agriculture expert Isaac Crosby to create two living plant displays included in the exhibition – one indoors, featuring plants with prejudicial names, and The Garden of Resilience outside of the exhibition featuring plant species considered to be “weeds.”
Our Interpretive Centre team is so grateful to Josh and the team at Koffler Arts for welcoming us into their space; we are also incredibly proud of our former co-op student Maria, who is doing incredible work in the field of arts administration!
Botannica Tirannica is on display until October 20, 2024 at Koffler Arts, 180 Shaw Street.
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