Fields of Žinas

Critical video essay by Marie Lukáčová will deal with the actual development of the North Bohemian landscape and its current state, foreign video contributions will also largely reflect the efforts to find solutions and fulfil specific utopian ideas. These ideas are very often based on criticizing the current political and economic system.The metaphor of a plant that grows (i) against the will of the growers - often in places where it conflicts with human preferences - unites such artistic approaches that critically view the dominant position of man in relation to his surroundings. Whether it is the systemic oppression of nature, women or any other marginalized groups . Similar to weeds, the exhibited works figuratively debate what is and what is not so-called normal and desirable, and who actually decides about it.

At the same time, weed can also be perceived positively, thanks to its positive effects, which manifest themselves mainly synergistically, i.e. in combination with other plants, which with their "accompanying" help, for example, against drying out. The emphasis on connection and care, collective viewing and interspecies communication in relation to nature is another common feature of the currently presented artistic approaches.

Just as it is not possible to clearly determine whether weeds are harmful or useful, the effort to avoid primary binary oppositions is also common to the ideas of ecofeminism. The goal is not to divide between man and woman, people and nature, natural and unnatural, etc., but to connect. In this sense, the exhibition Growing Weeds, Harvesting the Wind examines the possibilities of ecofeminism through the multitude of its manifestations - it looks at them from different perspectives and in the sense of potential collaboration.

8min / 1920×1080 / 2020 Camera/ Helen Fikert, Voice/Václav Kopalec, Noise Postproduction/ Anna Kolářová, Music/ Filip Kraus, Animation/ Marie Lukáčová