Cultivating Resistance: An Analysis of Exhibitions of Åsa Sonjasdotter’s Art in the Context of the Plantationocene

This article explores the history of crop variety purification and its role in the rise of monoculture. The Swedish artist Åsa Sonjasdotter examines the development of genetics, which evolved alongside the rise of National Socialism. The regime of purification sought to find ‘pure’ plant varieties following the New Testament imperative to ‘separate the wheat from the chaff.’ The article traces the creation of ‘ideal plant bodies’ (J. van der Ploeg) and their contribution to the spread of monocultures in the Plantationocene (A. L. Tsing, D. Haraway). Through an analysis of Sonjasdotter’s art exhibitions, the author highlights subversive practices that challenge the dominance of monoculture, a system that benefits a narrow group of stakeholders while harming the environment.