APROPOS OF THE CYCLE OF BIRTH, GROWTH, AND DEATH: ‘GARDENING’
As the pandemic continues to exert its hold, more people have become interested in plants. According to NAVER Data Lab, the number of searches for ‘plant’ and ‘garden’ increased by 127% and 212% respectively in May of this year when compared to those in January 2020, before the severe proliferation of Coronavirus Disease-19. A newly coined word ‘pet plant’ has appeared, which means to take care of plants as opposed to a animal pet, along with ‘planterior’ and ‘home gardening’ now in vogue. Plants are increasingly becoming the main element in a space. One noteworthy fact is that the movement of plants into private spaces has recently been on the rise. It is different to walking up a mountain close one’s house or taking a stroll in the park. It is also far removed from the appreciation of trees and flowers that dot our roadsides. People are willingly giving part of their domestic space over to flowerpots, paying them constant attention, and laboring on behalf of their continued vitality. Why do we become attached to plants? Perhaps a clue can be found in the present exhibition, ‘Gardening’.
The Way of Exhibit Changes over Time
The exhibition ‘Gardening’ is on No. 631). Kim Bumsang (director, GLINT), the exhibition director who runs piknic, stated the clear intention behind this exhibition: ‘If the message expressed in the previous exhibition was “let’s meditate”, then this exhibition says “let’s make our own, hand-size garden”’. He also added that this exhibition does not seek to define what a garden is. Rather, it was planned as a place to talk about how best to take care of plants and gardens, and to share the meaning and excitement that can be gained through that experience. Regarding the reasons behind paying attention to a private ‘garden’ rather than to a ‘park’ dedicated to the public, he explained that there is a beauty that can only be reached by physically touching the soil and taking care of the plants, rather than just observing them from a distance.
