Seven characters embody their own story at each station. They are hybrids of plant and machine and yet have a resemblance to the human. The artists give these beings a voice: 

They speak to us of the technosphere and the central role of symbiosis in evolution (Micro), of deep time, extractivism, coal mining and sorcery (Xtract), of pioneer plants, invasive species and neophytes (Pionea), of carbon dioxide, warm and cold periods, superplants and sedimentation (Azolla),

of the dream of using geoengineering to save the world (Symbiotechnica), of the technically mediated revival of extinct species (Extinct), and of corals, immortality, budding, cloning and the dream of eternal life (Hydra).

Here the inscriptions of the human are found everywhere, poisoned undergrounds, landscapes that years after exploitation should be given back to nature and yet are dependent on technical maintenance.

At the same time, however, it is also a place of the new and wild, with flora and fauna from all over the world settling here. These places are found all over the world - places that have stories stored in their subsoil, places that open up potential and new habitats, as they awaken to new life through destruction. 

The artists speculate on existing and future symbiotic relationships between microorganisms, plants, animals, bacteria, fungi and technical objects as they ponder innovative cycles and alliances in nature, all in the age of the Anthropocene.

Thanks to Ubernerd creating these wonderful avatars.

Photodocumentation: Installation views of the exhibition „Jana Kerima Stolzer & Lex Rütten – We grow, grow and grow, we’re gonna be alright and this is our show“, HMKV @ Dortmunder U, 11 March 2023 – 30 July 2023, photos: Jannis Wiebusch