Can we reimagine the complex relationships among nature, culture, and homeland through the lens of a decolonial botany? In this conversation, Robert Zhao Renhui and Tuấn Mami explore plants as contemporary symbols of resilience and adaptation that can shape our understanding of multispecies ecosystems and migrating communities and enrich our collective existence. In a world grappling with the climate crisis, the artists invite the audience to rethink exclusionary binaries such as invasive vs native species and to see plants as matters of emotion, memory, history, and politics.

Speakers
Tuấn Mami, Artist; Co-founder, Nhà Sàn Collective
Robert Zhao Renhui, Artist; Founder, Institute of Critical Zoologists

In conversation with
Katia Arfara, Curator; Assistant Professor of Theater and Performance Studies, NYUAD

De/Colonial Botany

The NYUAD Institute is a center of advanced research, scholarly and creative activity, and public workshops. Institute programs facilitate discussion between academics, students, professionals, and leaders from the UAE and from around the world.