A Weed Is A Plant Out Of Place

“The history of weeds is the history of man.” Edgar Anderson (1952)

Lismore Castle Arts is home to one of the most exquisite and visited gardens in Ireland. The new flagship exhibition for 2016 ties the landscape and rural surroundings of the Castle to the gallery spaces within one of the wings of the building. A Weed is a Plant out of Place, curated by Allegra Pesenti, features a range of works by seventeen artists, including a new commission by Pae White, as well as a selection of historical specimen books and vintage photographs.

The artists in the exhibition are: Anna Atkins, Harry Callahan, Pierpaolo Campanini, Mat Collishaw, Dorothy Cross, Latifa Echakhch, Susan Hartnett, Michael Landy, Mateo Lopez, Adrian Paci, Luisa Rabbia, Maria Sibylla Merian, Jeanne Silverthorne, Philip Taaffe, Emma Tennant, Michael John Whelan and Pae White.

The underlying premise of the show is the theme of migration. As their seeds set into the soles of travellers, or into the structures of ships and railroads, weeds follow the paths of migrants and resettle in distant environments across the globe. According to the New York Times, nearly 190 million people, about three percent of the world population, lived outside their country of birth in 2005.

A fully illustrated catalogue, featuring works from the show and other artists who have used weeds in their practice, will be published in May 2016.