“Dreams are messages from the deep” opening caption, Dune (2021)
In my dream I am handed a box in which I find 14 seeds, each belonging to different species of plant. I sow them and wait for them to grow. As they sprout, they appear to me to be mostly nomads, traveling between seasons, from place to place, reshaping space. I try to anticipate their needs without differentiating between them. The uncertainty of the outcomes is a source of disquiet that leads me to rethink my method. I therefore start to individualize the way I care for them. They begin to flourish. The fruits born look very inviting, my lips shaking to taste them. When I go near to do so, the fruits suddenly rot. Surprisingly, my desire to taste them doesn’t dissipate, so I do. I start to chew and feel that I love them deeply, but I also have a knot in my throat that doesn’t allow me to breathe. I start to panic. Why did my curiosity drive me to do something so reckless toward something I didn’t fully understand?
Immediately I look at my legs. They have turned into roots. I feel life flowing through me. I am no longer in control of my body. I try to cry out for help, but I don’t recognize the sound of my own voice. Instead, I hear ancestral noises coming from me. I am afraid. Then I stop for a moment. I realize that this is the language of the plants I had been taking care of. They understand me and I understand them. We can communicate now. I feel relieved. When I open my eyes, I understand that the missing ingredients at the start of this growth process were mutual support and listening. Help is something you are willing to accept when you feel most vulnerable.
photos: PILOTENKUECHE
Pleasure Seed talks about the feelings of those who are afraid to entrust themselves to someone else, but at the same time have the knowledge that they don’t have the choice. In his book Metamorphosis, Italian writer Emanuele Coccia says that life is like a cosmic unity that holds the substance of Earth in carnal intimacy. We are therefore all flesh of the same flesh, regardless of the species to which we belong. We need to reverse the common misconception that love is a protective space, a place where monsters cannot enter. Rather, love is a place where there must be space for everything; even the scariest of monsters, the ones settled inside us. Love is not the antidote to monsters, nor does it save us. It is knowing how to let ourselves be seen, even amongst the would-be monsters.
“I was seeing what Adam had seen on the morning of his creation – the miracle, moment by moment, of naked existence.”
The Doors of Perception, Aldous Huxley, English writer and philosopher
Can you see now?
Claudia Caletti
photos PILOTENKUECHE
He who is unable to live in society, or who has no need because he is sufficient for himself, must be either a beast or a god.’’ – Aristotle
For humans to grow best, there is a need for community, either by heritage or by world-view. This gives individuals an awareness and a sense of belonging, which allows them to understand their identity in social spaces and help them navigate the world around them. According to philosopher Polycarp Ikuenobe, “African communalism does not necessarily see a conflict between individuals and community; they are mutually supportive, and people are required to have the moral attitude of contributing to the community for their own well-being. This attitude creates the priority of duty, which is for the fundamental goal of creating a community, in order to provide the material conditions for actualizing individuals’ substantive rights and well-being.”
Communalism or community has helped to guide the African arts, enabling us to mutually support, embrace our heritage and help reconstruct how our history is told. An example can be seen in the restitution and reinstating of looted artefacts like the Benin bronzes. This could only have been achieved by cooperation. In Pleasure Seed, the PKRD 53 artist community comes together to share stories of social issues, human relationships and resolutions.
Mary Osaretin Omoregie
Pleasure Seed
vernissage
Sat 17 Dec 7-10PM
open
Sun 18 Dec – Tue 20 4-8PM
ARS AVANTI
Alte Handelsschule
Giesserstr 75
04229 Leipzig
ROUND 53 // Oct – Dec 2022
International Residents:
Kateryna Pokora (UA)
Mackenzie Perras (CA)
Leanne Finnegan (IR)
Valentina Diomina (UA)
Nari Jo (KO)
Rebecca Quix (BE)
Tseng Yu Chin (NL)
Rachael Thorleifson (CA)
Chang Wang (CN)
Sofia Fresia (IT)
Jiaqi Xu (CN)
Rundong Zhao (CN)
Local Participants:
Florian Schurz (DE)
Lisa Wölfel (DE)
Curatorial team:
Claudia Caletti (IT)
Mary Osaretin Omoregie (NG)
International Interns:
Julia Polo (SP)
Antonia Glaser (US)