Popular culture often defines nature as the antonym of the urban environment, creating a binary distinction between the “natural” and the “artificial”. This perception of nature as an idyllic, pristine space overlooks the complex interdependence between humans and the environment. The Abandoned Plant Sanctuary project, conceived in 2015 by artists Anamari Hrup and Eva Jera Hanžek, explores the possibilities of transplanting nature into urban environments and building a different relationship between humans and plants. The Sanctuary functions as a platform to facilitate the adoption of discarded pot plants, grounded in the principles of sustainable use, community participation, and the symbolic value of plants. The project actively involves the community, who either bring in or adopt abandoned plants. Each adoption is accompanied by a symbolic process of creating a plant portrait—a special way of connecting adopters with their new plants. Over the years, the Sanctuary has added both mobile and permanent shelters (the so-called Green Points – Zelene točke) and has continuously adapted to unforeseen circumstances. Despite participating in creative industry workshops, the project remains non-profit, as the authors are determined not to compromise its original mission. The plants in the sanctuary are no longer merely decorative objects, but are treated as subjects with their own rights and significance, encouraging reflection on the ethics of the relationship between humans and nature.The participatory nature of the Sanctuary’s artistic practice transcends traditional gallery spaces, engaging audiences in dialogue on ecology, sustainability, and social responsibility. As authors, Hrup and Hanžek see themselves more as the producers and directors of experiences where the audience acts as co-producer. Through its interdisciplinarity, the project transcends the boundaries of art, intersecting with the fields of critical theory, ecology, and sociology.The Abandoned Plant Sanctuary is an artistic and social experiment that, despite limited funding, functions as a space for regeneration, social connection, and reflection on our attitude to nature. The Sanctuary stands as a symbol of a contemporary artistic avant-garde that brings together participation, sustainability, and political engagement, opening up space for new possibilities for coexistence between humans, plants, and the urban environment.
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