They cleverly camouflage their viciousness, the poisonous hemlock, the parasitic fungi and plant-killing pests that give the exhibition its name. The plant parasites, magnified umpteen times, surprise with their bizarre aesthetics. Natural science teaching models by Reinhold und Robert Brendel created around 1900 show how amazingly fluid the transition between scientific observation and fine art can be.
While this form of nature representation unites aesthetic seeing, teaching and knowledge, the Finnish artist Sanna Kannisto (*1974) refers to scientific experimental set-ups in her appropriation of nature. She slips into the role of a researcher, accompanies scientific expeditions, examines and photographs plants and animals in stage-like mobile "field studios". In the synopsis, the exhibition spans an arc between the worlds of art and science.
