#Plantfluencer – und was sagst du dazu?

In the organizer's words:

Panel discussion with Julia Löffler
Moderation: Lucas Stübbe

This part of our lecture series on memes, everyday life and pop culture phenomena is about plantfluencers, among other things. Colonial trade networks gave wealthy citizens access to tropical plants. Even back then, these prestigious objects were deliberately staged. Today, the flood of images on social media bears surprising similarities to these colonial-era photographs.

About the Exotic Plant Hunters project - the colonial heritage of the houseplant

It's hard to imagine social media without monstera, fig leaf and the like: owners stage themselves as "plantparents" or "plantfluencers" and use their love of plants to signal mindfulness and a sustainable approach to consumption and the environment.

This modern staging of an "urban jungle" shows similarities to images from the colonial era. Through the exploitation of the environment in the colonies, tropical plants found their way into the luxurious city apartments of the 19th century bourgeoisie, where they became status symbols.

In her artistic work "Exotic Plant Hunters", Julia Löffler questions the extent to which colonial heritage manifests itself visually in today's everyday life and in self-portrayals.

Colonial plant hunting has also left its mark on the MARKK's photographic collections. Photographs of tropical plants bear witness to the fascination with the supposedly "exotic". The results of this exploration can be seen in the collaboration showcase in MARKK's Zwischenraum.

The event will be held in German in the Zwischenraum.