Marika Krčmářová

Aster Asteryka

Oct 14, 2021 — Nov 30, 2021
Opening Thursday 14. October 2021 16:00

Curator:
Mariana Pecháčková

  • The ocean washes up a delicate floral network. The plant is black, velvety in colour. In the dark waters, it clumps together in colonies, forming impermeable walls. The flowers are banded, strikingly ciliate. Some of the petals are so transparent that falling light penetrates them and shines through from a distance. They catch the eye. A girl takes her daily morning walk on the beach. She's lost in the dark depths of her thoughts. Her bare feet are tangled in a delicate floral web that no living thing can get through. "What the... ?! A perennial submerged dioecious herb, the rhizome is creeping, covered with the fibrously decayed remains of dead leaves. The family Asteraceae. Aster Asteryka..." The flower remains true to the ocean. The waves lovingly wash over it and call it back. The girl takes the plant home with her.

  • She places it in a giant aquarium. The plant waves, clumping its individual rhizomes and shading. The light-emitting parts occasionally cast a brilliant glare. They demand attention. The girl walks around the aquarium several times a day and speaks lovingly to the plant. Finally, she finds a cure for her loneliness.

  • One day, the flower disappears. It is not clear where or why. Leaving the aquarium noisily empty. "The most likely explanation must be its gradual decomposition caused by bacteria and fungi, ending in complete disintegration into dust," the girl muses. "Detritus, the dead organic matter, then serves as food for aquatic invertebrates and takes on an important role in the ecosystem." The flower is returned to the ocean. The girl is left alone.