Greenhouse. Art, Ecology and Resistance

A reflection on the relationship between nature, ecology and politics in the catalogue of the Portuguese Pavilion at La Biennale di Venezia

The publication Greenhouse interweaves texts from artists, curators, as well as theoreticians concerning themes of ecology, identity, history and diaspora in relation to contemporary artistic practices. Created by artist-curators Mónica de Miranda, Sónia Vaz Borges and Vânia Gala, and comissioned by DGArtes (General Directorate of the Arts) in Portugal, it reflects on and manifests the vision of Greenhouse, the official Portuguese representation at the 60th International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia.

Looking at the land as a vector of decolonial thinking and practice, as inspired by the agronomist and leader of the liberation struggle in Guiné-Bissau and Cabo Verde, Amílcar Cabral, the publication brings together historical narratives of liberation. It looks at contemporary decolonial practices, and imaginings of possible futures in the context of the Anthropocene and continued struggles against structural racism and for historical reparations.

The texts are interwoven with images from the exhibition that proposes a collective action through the creation of a “Creole garden” inside the exhibition space, which combines sculpture, stage, installation and assembly spaces, to open an area of resistance and freedom for multiple subjectivities. “Creole gardens” blend a wide range of plant species. They are instances of resistance, exercises in freedom.

Situated at the intersection between practice, theory and pedagogy, Greenhouse is grounded in four actions: Garden (Installation, Space and Time), LIVING ARCHIVE (Movement, Sound and Performance), Schools (Education, History and Revolution), Assemblies (Public and Communities).