Mesembryanthemum plants originate from southern Africa and they are seen as an invasive species here in Italy. In planting this variety at the PAV I am introducing an African colony of immigrant vegetation to the European landscape. This mirrors what is happening currently on a human scale, and echoes the history of European colonization in Africa. Who and what dictates whether the movement of people, flora and fauna around the world is invasive or not? Only time will tell if the Mesembryanthemum Space Invader will take over the PAV…

From the exhibition Vegetation as a Political Agent curated by Marco Scotini at PAV