Cultivating Resistance: An Analysis of Åsa Sonjasdotter’s Exhibitions in the Context of the Plantationocene Cover Image

Kultywowanie sprzeciwu. Analiza wystaw Åsy Sonjasdotter w kontekście plantacjocenu
Cultivating Resistance: An Analysis of Åsa Sonjasdotter’s Exhibitions in the Context of the Plantationocene

Author(s): Martyna Dziadek
Subject(s): Fine Arts / Performing Arts
Published by: Instytut im. Jerzego Grotowskiego
Keywords: biopolitics; agriculture; Plantationocene; Åsa Sonjasdotter

Summary/Abstract: This article explores the history of crop variety purification and its role in the rise of monoculture. Swedish artist Åsa Sonjasdotter examines the development of genetics, which evolved alongside the rise of National Socialism. The regime of purification aimed to find “pure” plant varieties, following the New Testament imperative to “separate the wheat from the chaff.” The article traces the creation of “ideal plant bodies” (J. van der Ploeg) and their contribution to the spread of monocultures in the Plantationocene (A. L. Tsing, D. Haraway). Through an analysis of Sonjasdotter’s exhibitions, the study also highlights subversive practices challenging monoculture dominance – a system that benefits a narrow group of stakeholders while harming the environment.

  • Issue Year: 2025
  • Issue No: 185
  • Page Range: 105-123
  • Page Count: 19
  • Language: Polish
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