"The common space in our community garden is the only area fenced in. Our garden has no other fences besides this one. We found this fence already erected soon after we had agreed to establish the garden. The official responsible for green area management gave orders to create this. This is how she implemented her vision of how a plot should look. We now use this as our common space. We call it "Plant Prison".

This photo shows the Plant Prison with Jerusalem Artichokes that are favorite plants for so called "guerilla gardeners", because of the rapidity of their growth... Their roots and leaves are edible and they reach the impressive size of 3.5 meters in length."

In her installation, on the one hand, she recycles and re-imports information concerning the organization of gardens - especially community gardens - from the garden sphere into the domains of art and everyday life - translating them into tangible, readily recognizable signs, deciphered, communicated and utilized, while on the other hand, makes practical use of the art space itself, turning it into a place for food cultivation - while again reminding us by the confrontation with these plants of the surprising aesthetic pleasures that their mere visual presence brings.

Alan Marsik


Exhibited at: TOKYO+BERLIN Communication-Art , KUNSTFAKTOR and Artmama Tokyo, Freies Museum Berlin, 2010 supported by Japanfoundation, Nomura Foundation, POLA ART FOUNDATION

Horticultural Areas as Semipublic Parks (2010) 3 buttons with excerpts from a contract between the city of Berlin a. the garden 5,9 cm., lmtd. ed.