Henry Trumble: Impossible Plants
This artist images biospheres where they don't naturally occur.
Overview
Tropical plantations aren't typically associated with western Europe, but over the years Berlin has developed a bit of an obsession with biospheres and rainforests where none naturally exist. Like a glasshouse, a biosphere is an artificial structure dedicated to housing a self-contained ecosystem mimicking specific weather conditions. Troubled by the unlikelihood of his tropical surroundings in Berlin, Adelaide-born artist and photographer Henry Trumble set about documenting the inauthenticity of these carefully curated settings and the thinly veiled attempts to hide the human elements of these 'natural' spaces.
Taking a sardonic approach to the project, Impossible Plants sees Trumble use the examples of biospheres to explore humanity's constant need to "collect, classify and display what it deems exotic and desirable".
Impossible Plants is on display now at Fitzroy's Junior Space until Wednesday, September 20.
