The Orangery 2099

Eröffnung: Mi, 9.April 2025 – 18.00 Uhr
(Gemeinsame Eröffnung in den MQ Schauräumen)

Red Huemer
Natalia Gurova
Taro Meissner
Laura Lintrup
Alevtina Lyapunova

curated by
Olga Shapovalova

The Orangery 2099 exhibition, curated by Olga Shapovalova, is a vitrine installation that reconstructs the image of an orangery of the future, created in the aftermath of nuclear winter. In the absence of sunlight and within a devastated atmosphere, this orangery raises questions about the nature of life, its preservation, and the possible forms of existence in the wake of a global catastrophe.

Here, plants that have survived disaster and mutated beyond recognition are gathered. Mushrooms with smooth metallic skin push through cracked concrete slabs. Wildflowers, infused with plastic, bloom among the ruins that have become our home. Poisonous red berries glisten, their dangerous glow enticing. In the sky, a metallic sun with spikes instead of rays hovers, while sharp-edged iron clouds slice through the eternal darkness. All of this unfolds against a backdrop of crimson lava, pulsing like a living reminder of the catastrophe that has reshaped the world.

The Anthropocene marks an era in which human activity has become a geological force, altering landscapes, climate, and the biosphere. The radioactive traces of mid-20th-century thermonuclear weapons testing have become markers of a new age — one in which humanity has acquired the power to alter the world within mere hours. Orangery 2099 places the viewer within this designed post-Anthropocene landscape, where the remnants of civilization merge with a newly mutated nature.

In Orangery 2099, Olga Shapovalova brings together artists who explore themes of ecology, resilience, and the emergence of new life forms in the face of global crisis. Who will become the caretaker of this orangery? For whom does it exist? Can artificial nature replace the organic? This project invites the viewer to contemplate a future where the boundaries between the natural and the artificial dissolve, and where the concept of environmental care takes on new forms and meanings.

This event marks the first in a series of projects exploring the theme of toxicity. The second part, I AM TOXIC!, will take place as an exhibition at the sculpture garden at Kurzbauergasse 9, while the third instalment — a street theatre about giant hogweed and the Congress of Vienna — will unfold in September as part of the Wienwoche festival.

Follow the artists on instagram!
Red Huemer @red_huemer, Natalia Gurova @nataly_gurova, Taro Meissner @taromeissner, Laura Lintrup @lauralintrup, Alevtina Lyapunova @alevtinalyapunova, Olga Shapovalova @tsarbaba.