NONLINEAR FUNCTION

In mathematics, a nonlinear function describes a relationship between two sets or values. Here, the solo exhibition nonlinear function is meant to represent the complicated relationship between humans and nature. ︎

Curatorial text by Jana Doudova

I invited Melanie Garland, an artist and my precious friend, to create an exhibition on a topic of a migration. We understand migration as a general concept which manifests in several areas – such as biology and politics. As Melanie has an extensive experience thanks to her art-, anthropological-, original approach to this matter, and I am a freelance curator in Berlin; after a broad discussion about political humans and climate change; we decided to call the exhibition a 'Nonlinear function'. As you can see we chose several objects as representations of different aspects of migration.

1. A fishing net, which comes from Chile, as a symbol of globalised world and exploitative labor.
2. Plants, which come from research project by FU ‘Bringing Biodiversity Science’ [funded by Federal Ministry of Education and Research], as an exposition of strength and vulnerability of nature.
3. Drawings of currents and landscapes, as a representation of the concept of migration on an abstract level. 4. Water as a symbol of life.

We are aware that this exhibition is an experiment and you look like a laboratory. Are the plants going to survive this hot summer in the city? Will there be someone willing to join us watering them?

In mathematics, a nonlinear function describes a relationship between two sets or values. Here, the name is meant to represent the complicated relationship between humans and nature. We hope that this function will take a shape that is beneficial to both items related – nature and humans.