Marine Kaiser

Marine Kaiser – Fleurs de Buda, 2024

• Vaartdijk, Brussels

As sung by Della Bosiers in her ode Fleur de Buda (1971), vegetation in the area is strikingly sparse. In the few places where it does thrive, we mainly encounter species that are classified as invasive. Invasive alien species originate in ecosystems far removed from the one in which they are established. Whether due to botanical hubris or international trade, the displacement of species sometimes leads to uncontrolled behaviours. While these species may be perfectly well-behaved in their native ecosystems, when transplanted to distant locations, they either disrupt the balance or establish themselves in areas where the ecosystem is already out of balance. One such example flourishing in Buda is the Japanese Knotweed, which was brought from Japan in 1829 by Philipp Franz von Siebold. As Japan was still tightly isolated during this time, the knotweed most likely began its journey from the artificial Japanese island of Dejima, which served as a trading post for the Dutch. Once regarded as an outstanding species, earning an award in 1847 from the Society of Agriculture and Horticulture in Utrecht, this rhizomatous plant is now viewed as an odious invader who must be disposed of. Japanese Knotweed arrived in Europeconcurrently with the onset of industrialization, coinciding with the very factor responsible for soil pollution. This pollution sets the conditions in which knotweed is one of the few species that happens to thrive in the area.

In Fleurs de Buda, Marine Kaiser sets a dialogue between the local knotweed and peony, two rather differently valued species of plants. Peonies, which are now among the most beloved flowering plant species in Belgium, are held in similar esteem as the knotweed once was. While originating in China, their name in European tongues references Paieon, the Greek god of healing.

In Marine Kaiser’s work, cut peonies are placed in a spill containment tank – a device typically used to prevent hazardous or polluting substances from spreading. While containing the histories and narratives that the plant species embody, Fleurs de Buda offers an entry point for questioning the apparent transitions taking place in Buda.

About

The documented narratives of Swiss-French artist Marine Kaiser (1992) investigate the networks, tactics and arrangements generated through the applications of control. Borders in displacement, invasive species, sculpture in changing states, a closed eye allowing the gaze to pass, passwords ; Marine Kaiser’s interventions compose contradictions and complexities by standing at the thresholds of temporary communities. Graduated from HEAD Geneva and Erg Brussels, her work has lately been exhibited at Espace Contact (Neuchâtel), reclame (nomadic), Pavillon de l’Arsenal (Paris), AGB (Berlin), Manifesta 12 (Palermo), Le 18 (Marrakesh), Les Brasseurs (Liege), Palais de l’Athénée (Geneva), KANAL – Centre Pompidou (Brussels). In 2021/2022, she was artist-in-residence at Jan van Eyck Academie (Maastricht).