The Secret Life of Plants w/ gallerist and curator, Melanie Roger: 18th October, 2024

The Secret Life of Plants is a new group exhibition at Melanie Roger Gallery. 

The exhibition borrows its title from the 1973 book, with the same name, by Peter Tompkins and Christopher Bird. The book documents “controversial experiments that claim to reveal unusual phenomena associated with plants, such as plant sentience and the ability of plants to communicate with other creatures, including humans.”

Exhibiting the works of Rosa Allison, Georgia Arnold, Heidi Brickell (Te Hika o Papauma, Rangitāne, Ngāi Tara, Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Apakura), Ruth Ige, Tessa Laird, Layla Rudneva-Mackay, Star Gossage (Ngāti Wai, Ngāti Ruanui), Ann Shelton and Sarah Smuts-Kennedy, the artists embrace “the secret life of plants” within their practises with works exploring ideas of mysticism, healing, growth and spirituality.  

Sofia had a kōrero with gallerist and curator, Melanie Roger, about the show, the artists, and its themes.