The Wild and the Cultivated

Inspired by Philippe Descola’s Beyond Nature and Culture (2005), the conversation will be focused on the induced separation between the ‘cultivated’ and the ‘wild’, and where it has led us. We will explore how Western colonial thought has shaped the nature-culture divide, and how we could be rethinking the relationships between humans and other-than-human agents by erasing the distinctions between them. Why do we need to reconnect the ‘wild’ and the ‘cultivated’ back together to survive? 

A conversation between microbiologist and anthropologist César E. Giraldo Herrera and visual artist, writer, and founder of The Migrant Ecologies Project Lucy Davis. Moderated by program creator Anna Kirikova. 

AS PART OF OTHER MINDS 

OTHER MINDS is a cross-disciplinary program centered around the ways of thinking and seeing in more-than-human ways. It has been created in response to the curatorial vision of Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale 2024, After Rain, which embodies revitalization and renewal. It situates itself within a wider narrative of the co-existence of humans and non-humans.

Neuroscience has proved that the human brain cannot grasp the world as it is. If the objective world exists, how can we even come close to discovering it? 

The scientific and culturological tools developed to date allow for an experience of the “other”, or alternative ways of perceiving the world. With OTHER MINDS, we have assembled an array of scientists, thinkers, and artists to elaborate on plant-animal-microorganism-human relations through the new findings in neurosciences, biology, and anthropology, as well as through the metaphorical findings of the artworks presented at the Biennale. 

We will look closer at how non-human beings interact with reality, communicate, and create fascinating entanglements through their relationship with others, including humans. By receiving theoretical and practical insights from the program’s contributors, we might probably be able to see the world around us a bit closer to what it is — a world where all life is thoughtful life. 

The program was created in collaboration with Anna Kirikova and Daria Ozerskaya.