A growing garden as a work of art: Iraqi-American artist Michael Rakowitz makes a destroyed garden flourish again as a symbol of overcoming war and trauma. The exhibition The Waiting Gardens of the North is on view at the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art in Gateshead, northern England, beginning July 15.
Plants and trees are important symbols in many cultures, for example of purity or friendship. Artist Michael Rakowitz has something special in mind with his project The Waiting Gardens of the North: Running for nearly a year, from July 15, 2023 to May 26, 2024, the eponymous exhibition features a ruined garden that grows and thrives. In the center of date palms, olive and fig trees, Rakowitz attaches a replica of an ancient relief panel that purports to show the Assyrian gardens at Nineveh. They were probably laid out in the 7th century B.C. and are considered the model for the hanging gardens of Babylon. The modern garden of Rakowitz brings the ancient site back to life and emphasizes the importance of cultural heritage. Interested visitors can view the thriving artwork at the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art in Gateshead in northern England. The exhibition also includes numerous places to linger and community activities.
Michael Rakowitz was born in New York City in 1973 and now lives in Chicago. The Iraqi-American artist's work sometimes addresses how political conflict affects and, in some cases, destroys art (works). Rakowitz was represented at documenta (13) in 2012 and the Biennale of Sydney (2008). In addition to numerous prizes such as the Nasher Prize and the Herb Alpert Award, his successes include the temporary design of the fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square in London. Since 2005, it has served as an exhibition space for changing sculptures. From 2018 to 2020, his modern sculpture of a Lamassu, an Assyrian guardian demon, was on display there. Rakowitz used it to draw attention to the destruction of cultural assets during the Iraq War.
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