The 40th episode of Kitchen Conversations features a notable Polish visual artist, researcher and activist, currently based in Berlin – Karolina Grzywnowicz.
Since the launch of her first major art project – ‘Weeds’ dedicated to a set of flora, revealing the re-settling history of a large group of people living in south east of Poland – Karolina has been working with plants in social and political context. Her methodology involves working with specialists across various disciplines such as botanists, soil researchers, hydrologists and local people to allow space for interaction and exchange of knowledge.
Her recent project ‘Distillates’ explores the politics of planting pine three and eucalyptus, as an intended gesture to camouflage violence, change landscape and colonise land and its people. The project consists of three case studies, conducted in Poland and Palestine, as well as a self-made essential oil created out of pine trees growing in the former site of the Sobibor extermination camp.
During Warsaw Gallery Weekend 2022, Karolina showed ‘Distillates’ as an olfactory installation at the Jednostka Gallery, for which she received a Special Prize of the Warsaw Gallery Weekend and ING Polish Art Foundation. Most recently she has also been selected for the CEC Artslink International Fellowship Program, where she will continue working on a new project about scents as a tool for resistance and healing.
Listen to Karolina Grzywnowicz speak about her practice in relation to plants and activism:
Kitchen Conversations is an independent podcast platform produced by the artist Patrycja Rozwora (since May 2020). To support further development of the projects become a patron via patreon.com/kitchenconversations.
