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With the new exhibition "Living Sculptures", the Botanical Garden of Leipzig University will bring art and biodiversity research together in a unique way from June 20, 2025. The focus is on sculptures that are not only aesthetically pleasing, but also ecologically significant - some provide habitats for wild bees, insects and other animal species, while others are intended to inspire reflection on biodiversity.
The exhibition will be opened on Friday, June 20, 2025 at 4:00 pm as part of the Long Night of Science with a public vernissage and a champagne reception. Visitors can expect a guided tour with the project team and participating artists. A documentary film documenting the creative process behind the works will also be shown for the first time.
"Nature has always inspired art, but rarely does art itself become a habitat," says Josiane Segar, project coordinator of "Living Sculptures" and alumna of the German Center for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv). The project participants hope that such an art-nature nexus will become more firmly anchored in public spaces in future, as a way of not only problematizing biodiversity change, but also telling a future-oriented story. "Living sculptures focus on the creative power of humans, not only as the cause of loss, but also as co-creators of diversity," says Segar.
The collaboration between artists and biodiversity researchers has resulted in new design elements such as deadwood structures, nesting aids and other habitats in artistic form. "Such elements have hardly been incorporated into the design of public spaces to date, even though they are particularly effective socially due to their visibility and representation," says Ingmar Staude, research assistant at the Botanic Garden and scientific advisor to the project. "Art can act as a door opener here: New spaces for ecological function can be created where classic sculptures would otherwise stand."
Sculptures as habitats for animals and plants
"Art that creates habitats opens up new perspectives on the relationship between humans and the environment - it makes visible what often goes unnoticed in everyday life and invites us to rethink garden and nature design," says Leiv-Patrick Berthel, Chairman of the Board of the Förderkreis des Botanischen Gartens e.V. (Association for the Promotion of the Botanic Garden). "We are delighted that we, as an association, can create the framework conditions for forward-looking ideas to take root and have a lasting impact."
The Leipzig Cultural Office, the Oak Spring Garden Foundation, the Leipzig Foundation, manufactur e.V. and the German Center for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) are also supporting the project.
The exhibition can be seen in the outdoor area of the Botanical Garden until October 31, 2025. Not all parts can be found at first glance and invite visitors to explore the entire garden. An information brochure with an overview map provides details of the protagonists and the ideas behind them (available to purchase in the foyer). Some sculptures will also remain a permanent part of the garden and make a long-term contribution to ecological diversity.
Participating artists?
Marie Ronniger, Sergei Karev, Daniel Böttcher, Sarah Pschorn and the Gesellschaft für artübergreifende Freundschaft
