Perpetual Harvest, 2023
Installation (woven wheat straw) in collaboration with the artisan Fazakas Angéla
6 objects, 90x15x15 cm each
The artwork Perpetual Harvest depicts a series of ballistic missiles made from woven wheat straw, which serves as a commentary on the absurdity of war and the pervasive policies of global militarization that affect every aspect of life.
Essential as it is to human survival, food has always been a weapon of choice in almost every conflict, including the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. Preventing food exports can cause more significant damage than any bomb or missile. Food is a weapon of war. It could be called ‘primitive ballistics.’ Food sustains life and can be used as a weapon if withheld. An ancient harvest ritual symbolically weaves together the last stalks of wheat standing in a harvested field. Cut and woven into various shapes, it represents the spirit of the harvest, sheltered in the farmer’s home for winter. When spring comes, the seeds in the weaving are mixed with the springtime planting, thus returning the harvest spirit to the fields. Nowadays, the ritual of wheat weaving is gradually disappearing along with the grain fields, drawing the spirit of the harvest into new configurations.
The Black Sea grain deal is the only issue on which the two parties involved (Ukraine and Russia) come to the negotiation table. We aim to highlight the role of grains as the sole bridge to peace, along with the agency of grains as “negotiators of peace.”
Installation (woven wheat straw) in collaboration with the artisan Fazakas Angéla
6 objects, 90x15x15 cm each
The artwork Perpetual Harvest depicts a series of ballistic missiles made from woven wheat straw, which serves as a commentary on the absurdity of war and the pervasive policies of global militarization that affect every aspect of life.
Essential as it is to human survival, food has always been a weapon of choice in almost every conflict, including the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. Preventing food exports can cause more significant damage than any bomb or missile. Food is a weapon of war. It could be called ‘primitive ballistics.’ Food sustains life and can be used as a weapon if withheld. An ancient harvest ritual symbolically weaves together the last stalks of wheat standing in a harvested field. Cut and woven into various shapes, it represents the spirit of the harvest, sheltered in the farmer’s home for winter. When spring comes, the seeds in the weaving are mixed with the springtime planting, thus returning the harvest spirit to the fields. Nowadays, the ritual of wheat weaving is gradually disappearing along with the grain fields, drawing the spirit of the harvest into new configurations.
The Black Sea grain deal is the only issue on which the two parties involved (Ukraine and Russia) come to the negotiation table. We aim to highlight the role of grains as the sole bridge to peace, along with the agency of grains as “negotiators of peace.”