Concept & Artists

A talking pickle? To fathom nature and relate to it in five ways? Seeing a work of art take shape among the greenery and eating soup together with a carnivorous plant? All this is possible in the new edition of UtrechtDownUnder art on fertile soil.

24 artists will show their work among the plants, in the parking lot, and in the oasis of a large greenhouse at the STECK garden center.

UtrechtDownUnder art on the fertile soil is a pop-up exhibition about the tension between man and nature. The public can engage with visual work in which the relationship to nature serves as a romantic, investigative, conceptual, or humorous starting point.

With their sensibility for social development, many artists have delved into nature in recent years. The interest is ‘booming’ since the impending climate crisis has become apparent to everyone. But how different can you look at the phenomenon of nature? Artists investigated their relationship to the natural order. Using mainly sustainable materials, recycled or circular, they created works in which the role of man, the natural versus the artificial, the possible threats, and the infinite beauty and growth potential of nature around us are highlighted and considered.

An art exhibition set in a garden center is an experiment in itself. In this way, the location and art coincide bringing the public into contact with contemporary art in an informal setting.

The exhibition is accompanied by a program of lectures, artist films, tours, and a stimulating educational program for high school students.

Curator Elaine Vis