Mourning Flora

(German below)

Mourning Flora

Opening & Activation of public installation by Andrea Acosta & Ece Eldek

The collaborative artwork by Andrea Acosta and Ece Eldek explores the notion of ghost species: plants that have disappeared or are on the brink of extinction, yet linger in memory, myth, or trace. Responding to architectural features of the ZK/U grounds, Acosta and Eldek turn their attention to what is no longer visible. Confronted with a dusty, vacant patch of earth, they began to ask: what once grew here, and how might we remember-or even summon-it through the act of naming and storytelling?

With this commissioned work for PLANT STORIES, they propose an intervention in these spaces through a series of botanical tags, akin to those used in gardens or arboreta. But rather than identifying extant species, each tag marks an absence: a vanished or imagined plant, conjured through poetic and speculative writing. These texts gesture toward what has been lost, but also toward what might return-through language, memory, or the collective imagination.

On June 29, the installation will be opened to the public in the ZK/U yard (outside) and activated through a conversation and sharing circle, inviting participants to gather around this symbolic space of absence. Together, we will reflect on what once was, what may still resonate, and how new stories can emerge from the fertile ground of loss. The artist will also share insights from their research process.

Join us for a hangout with the artists and refreshments afterwards.

ANDREA ACOSTA is an interdisciplinary artist whose work explores the shifting relationships between nature, landscape, and the built environment. Rooted in field research across urban and rural contexts, her process-based practice integrates sculpture, installation, drawing, and photography to examine how matter, perception, and place are continuously transformed. Through gestures of collection, activation, and speculation, she investigates the tensions between organic and industrial materialities, proposing alternative ecologies of attention and care. Her work has been shown internationally in Europe, Latin America and Asia and she has been artist in residence at the Palais de Tokyo, the Bauhaus Foundation in Dessau and the Cite des Arts in Paris, among others.

ECE ELDEK is a conceptual artist and poet based in Istanbul and Berlin, working with video, photography, performance, installation and poetry. Her work focuses on networks of social, political and cultural relationships, and on interwoven mechanisms and processes. Based on the idea that subjective experience is reshaped and generated by the environment, memory and socio-political space, she positions herself as an artist in various networks of relationships and explores them from the inside. She is one of the founding members of the art initiatives TOZ Artist Run Space and Her Hal in Istanbul and is co-founder and editor of the online magazine Moero. Eldek has shown her artistic work in numerous international exhibitions and biennials, including at the Istanbul Biennial, SALT Galata Istanbul and the Piccadilly International Art Museum in Seoul, South Korea.

This gathering is part of the PLANT STORIES program, running from June - October at ZK/U.

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Mourning Flora

Inauguration and activation of the public installation by Andrea Acosta & Ece Eldek

Andrea Acosta and Ece Eldek's collaborative artwork explores the notion of ghost species: plants that have disappeared or are on the verge of extinction, but live on in memory, myth or trace. In response to architectural features of the ZK/U site - such as the circular plot in the courtyard and the exposed beams on the building - Acosta and Eldek focus their attention on what is no longer visible. Faced with a dusty, empty patch of earth, they began to ask: what once grew here, and how might we remember it - or even evoke it - through the act of naming and storytelling?

With this commission for PLANT STORIES, the artists intervene in this place through a series of botanical signs, similar to those used in gardens or woody plant collections. But instead of identifying the species present, each sign marks an absence: a vanished or imaginary plant evoked through poetic and speculative texts. They refer not only to what has been lost, but also to what might return - through language, memory or the collective imagination.

On June 29, the installation will be opened to the public in the ZK/U courtyard (outside) and activated by a discussion circle that invites participants to gather around this symbolic space of absence. Together we will reflect on what once was, what might still resonate and how new stories can emerge from the fertile ground of loss. The artists will also share insights from their research process.

Followed by a hangout with the artists and refreshments.

ANDREA ACOSTA is an interdisciplinary artist. In her work, she explores the changing relationships between nature, landscape and the built environment. Her practice, based on field research in urban and rural contexts, incorporates sculpture, installation, drawing and photography to investigate the continuous transformations of matter, perception and place. Through gestures of collecting, activating and speculating, she explores the tensions between organic and industrial materiality and proposes alternative ecologies of attention and care. Her work has been exhibited in Europe, Latin America and Asia and she has been artist in residence at the Palais de Tokyo, the Bauhaus Foundation in Dessau and the Cité des Arts in Paris, among others.

The visual artist and poet ECE ELDEK, who lives in Istanbul and Berlin, works with video, performance, installation and poetry. Eldek's work focuses on networks of social, political and cultural relationships and interwoven mechanisms and processes. Based on the idea that subjective experience is reshaped and generated by the environment, memory and social and political space, she positions herself as an artist in various networks of relationships and explores them from the inside. She is one of the founding members of the art initiatives TOZ Artist Run Space and Her Hal in Istanbul and is co-founder and editor of the online magazine Moero. She has shown her work in numerous international exhibitions and biennials, including the Istanbul Biennial, SALT Galata Istanbul and Piccadilly International Art Museum in Seoul, South Korea.

This workshop is part of the PLANT STORIES program, which takes place at ZK/U from June to October.