What sort of world are we creating? These are chaotic times, fragile times, and many can be forgiven for being worried about what the future might bring, if it comes at all. The famous GropiusBau has used this precarious position as inspiration for a new exhibition, where 20 international artists will use a garden space to produce metaphors for the modern world. 

What do you think of when you think of a garden? A private space, for growth of a different kind? Or a fertile area with limitless possibilities? A place of tranquility, a place of chaos, a place of the perfect mixture of the two? All descriptions are relevant and are also apt for the world we find ourselves living in, a world of fragility and progress. The large-scale installations and creativity on show at this exhibition will cut a little deeper than your usual gallery show. The whole thing is named after a painting by 15th century icon Hieronymus Bosch, which will also serve as the entrance to the exhibition. There is a lot to take in inside, but the garden-theme will make the claustrophobic concrete of Berlin seem a world away. 

(Picture App: “Mesocosmic Indoor Overture”, 2019 © Heather Phillipson)