BO, The Association of Visual Artists Oslo, The Nordic People & Plant Project at the University of Oslo Botanical Garden, and The Institute of Postnatural Studies were proud to present Hothouse Flowers a three-day seminar from September 13 to 15.
Departing from current issues in ethobotanics, ecology, and the ecosophy of the Norwegian philosopher Arne Næss, the seminar questioned imagined binaries of nature and culture, plants and people. The program was comprised of various speakers from the above-mentioned fields, artistic and curatorial contributions, all dedicated to exploring human-plant relationships.
Hothouse Flowers was a continuation of the eponymous exhibition at Podium by the artists Nikhil Vettukattil and Gabriel Alonso, curated by Una Mathiesen Gjerde. The seminar was curated in conversation with the Director of The University of Oslo Botanical Garden, Prof. Anneleen Kool.
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 13
14:00 in the Victoria Greenhouse, Oslo Botanical Garden: Performance by Gabriel Alonso
14:30: Welcome by curator Una Mathiesen Gjerde
14:45 in Tøyen hovedgård: Plants and People Rediscovering and Reviving Nordic Plant Traditions, lecture by botanist Prof. Anneleen Kool
15:10: Perceptions of Plants in the Past, lecture art and cultural historian Karoline Kjesrud
16:20: Postnatural Gardening as Strategy, an introduction to The Institute of Postnatural Studies by Gabriel Alonso
19:00 at BO, The Association of Visual Artists Oslo’s loft: Beneath the Watery Veil: A Ritual for the Forgotten Tides, a performative dinner by Abuela & Collective (Francesca Imbrosciano, Teté, QOA, and Aurora Aven).
SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 14
11:00: Guided Tour in the Botanical Garden with Anneleen Kool, we meet in front of Lids hus/the Botanical Museum
13:00 at BO, The Association of Visual Artists Oslo’s loft: Plant Pedagogies and Curation as Research, a conversation between the curators Carmen Lael Hines and Roberto Majano
14:15 – 15:00: BREAK
15:00: A Quest for El Micro-Museo de las Plantas Migrantes (The Micro-Museum of Migrating Plants), an artist presentation by Belén Santillan
16:00: Vines and Sand: Colonial Botany and Science Fiction, a lecture by Ben Woodard
SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 15
14:00 at Kunstnernes Hus Cinema: Screening program with Tamara Henderson’s Green in the Grooves, Maurício Chades’ Green Cemetery, and Misho Antadze’s The Harvest.
In addition to the above-listed program, Nikhil Vettukattil will be displaying the sound installation Reanimist (2024) in the Victoria Greenhouse throughout the course of the seminar.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Hothouse Flowers was made possible through the generous support of The Arts Council Norway, The Fritt Ord Foundation, The Bergesen Foundation, Oslo Municipality, Acción Cultural Española, and the Research Council of Norway.