Works of Indian and international artists
The exhibition will be opened on Friday, 06 September 2024 at 5.30 pm.
Can plants travel? And how? The grown plant is rooted in the soil and therefore cannot travel, the seeds however can. And there are numerous ways for the seeds to travel - by wind, water, animals and by humans.
This exhibition explores how plants travelled due to human intervention, for aesthetic, political and economic reasons. In tracing some remarkable journeys of travelling plants in this exhibition, the exhibition uncovers a tapestry of interconnected histories that highlight the enduring bond between nature and humanity. Plants have not only shaped our environments but have also enriched our lives, reminding us of the ongoing exchange between the natural world and human innovation. Reflecting on their legacy, the exhibition encourages one to appreciate the delicate balance of ecosystems and the impact of our global interactions, inviting one to be thoughtful stewards of the living world we share.
The exhibition is the culmination of a transdisciplinary, multiphase project led by Goethe-Institut Chennai in collaboration with Alliance Française of Madras, and Institut Français de Pondichéry (IFP). Beginning with a residency centered around the Herbarium at IFP in March 2024, ‘Travelling Plants’ brings together works of Indian and international artists selected for their creative practices intersecting with the natural world.
Curated by Lina Vincent, the exhibition showcases artistic observations, learnings and investigations into varied sociocultural, political, ecological and environmental concerns, offering unique perspectives at the intersection of science, nature and art. The artists include Karolina Grzywnowicz (Germany), Wendy Therméa (Reunion Island, France), Waylon D’souza (India), and Rashmimala (India).
In Kolkata, the exhibition is being presented at Indian Museum in collaboration with the Botanical Survey of India (BSI) which presents three collections from their archives, namely, the economic plants portraits, a selection of 19th-20th century correspondences between scientists from India and Europe around trading plants in the colonial period and a selection of 19th century Botanical paintings famously known as the company paintings. The sections from BSI are compiled by the experts of the institute.
The exhibition is initiated by Goethe-Institut and presented in collaboration with Indian Museum, Ministry of Culture, Government of India and Botanical Survey of India, Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change, Government of India.
Open to all
Sessions
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From Garden to Gallery
Thursday, 26.09.2024 , 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Plants have always inspired and been involved in art making - from the palm leaf manuscript to the cyanotype! Join us on a journey to discover the possibilities that arise when art meets nature and science. With experts from the Botanical Survey of India and artworks by four practitioners from around the world, this session is an opportunity to explore not only the exhibition but also your own creative response.
This programme is part of the exhibition ‘Travelling Plants Kolkata’ initiated by Goethe-Institut and presented in collaboration with Indian Museum, Ministry of Culture, Government of India, Botanical Survey of India, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India. Opening on 6 September the exhibition will remain on view till 4 October 2024 at the Indian Museum from 10:30 am to 6:00 pm daily (except Mondays and public holidays).
Participation by registration only.
10.09.2024 & 26.09.2024 | Maximum participants: 15
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Storm in a Tea Cup: History, Culture and Ecology of Tea
Saturday, 07.09.2024 , 6:30 PM
‘Storm in a Tea Cup: History, Culture and Ecology of Tea’ is an evening of conversations and performative readings around a beverage that has enlivened endless encounters, brightened mornings and evenings, and changed the course of history in Kolkata, a city intimately connected to the global tea trade.
Whatever be the impact of the economics of the trade, the Bengalis adopted this foreign drink as their own. Even the Chinese word for tea, Cha became part of the Bengali vocabulary and within decades, almost every Bengali’s morning started with Cha.
The evening features a moderated conversation between two connoisseurs of tea, who bring their unique perspectives to bear on tea – the plant, the product, and the protocol (or ritual) of tea drinking.
Nazes Afroz, journalist, photographer, writer and translator, will moderate the discussion, and introduce the way in which tea entered the consciousness of modern Bengal. Shuddhabrata Sengupta, artist and writer with the Raqs Media Collective, will forage the history of tea, and its place in the turbulent global economy of the nineteenth century, to mine its significance as an inspiration for artists and thinkers and Sonia Jabbar, third generation tea planter, entrepreneur, writer, with the historic Nuxalbari Tea Estate in North Bengal, will look at the Tea Plantation through a historic and ecological lens, and talk about how she attempts to forge an ecologically sustainable form of tea cultivation.
The conversation will be followed by readings of excerpts from Bangla and English literature that celebrate tea.
This programme is part of the exhibition ‘Travelling Plants Kolkata’ initiated by Goethe-Institut and presented in collaboration with Indian Museum, Ministry of Culture, Government of India, Botanical Survey of India, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India. Opening on 6 September the exhibition will remain on view till 4 October 2024 at the Indian Museum from 10:30 am to 6:00 pm daily (except Mondays and public holidays)
The programme is open to all.
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