ABOUT THE PROJECT | de aquicito nomás

Lucia is approaching the planter boxes as a living sculpture that focuses on "ornamental" plants migrating across the Americas. Species from South America, Central America, and North America are organized in a progression based on their place of origin. The eight planters, originally designed to contain them, now highlight their movement across territory.

People have been—purposely and accidentally—moving plants for centuries. From tiny seeds riding under a shoe to flowers traveling thousands of miles in the global plant trade, plants have been moved around in the name of profit, status, ignorance, romance, curiosity, conservation, and even livelihood.

Plants themselves are also in constant movement. Some are hiking up mountains to adapt to the changing climate, others are "escaping cultivation" and thriving beyond the boundaries of their assigned and acceptable garden location.

Contrary to common belief, scientific studies show that most nonnative plants move from the northern hemisphere to the Global South. Similarly, these planters will show a movement that flows in many directions. Furthermore, in time, these planters will also include other species, who will volunteer to move in. They will be welcomed as a reminder of plants' agency and own sense of belonging. After all, invasive is not a name.

ABOUT LUCIA MONGE

Lucia Monge is a Peruvian artist whose work explores the way humans position ourselves within the natural world and relate to other living beings, especially plants. She has collaborated with mycelium communicating underground, white cedars walking down the streets, and potato seeds orbiting around Earth to envision multispecies and anti-colonial futures. Monge has shown her work internationally, including at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Lima, Whitechapel Gallery, Queens Museum, and the United Nations Climate Change Conference.