NGV Triennial 2020 installation view of Kengo Kuma & Associates, Tokyo and Paris (architecture studio); Kengo Kuma (designer); Geoff Nees (artist) <em>Botanical pavilion</em> 2020, Commissioned by the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne. Proposed acquisition with funds donated by Connie Kimberley and Craig Kimberley OAM, 2020<br/>
© Kengo Kuma and Geoff Nees. Photo: Tom Ross

Botanical pavilion, 2020, is a collaboration between Japanese architect Kengo Kuma and Australian artist Geoff Nees. The structure is a circular pavilion made in the Japanese tradition of wooden architecture, where pieces interlock, held by tension and gravity. The interior of this installation is lined with tiles of timber collected from trees felled or removed during the Millennium Drought (1996–2010) at Melbourne’s Royal Botanic Gardens. Some of the trees used within predate European colonisation, while others signal the evolution of the gardens as a site of scientific research and botanical classification. Importantly, the botanical species used for Botanical pavilion are colour coded, rather than following any taxonomic order. By prioritising natural phenomena over scientific order, the designers call into question the reductive nature of science during the colonial era – a mindset at odds with many Indigenous cultural beliefs and knowledge systems. Botanical pavilion offers a site for contemplation, reminding us of our relationships to nature and one another. As a sensory experience, Botanical pavilion is also a walkway through which to approach and contemplate the philosophical nature of South Korean artist Lee Ufan’s painting Dialogue, 2017.

NGV Triennial 2020 Playlist

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An interview with Jeff Koons In conversation with NGV Director Mindfulness in Taekwondo Asia Society X NGV Triennial conversations | Dhambit Munuŋgurr In conversation with Myles Russell-Cook Salon et Lumière | A Telstra Creativity and Innovation Series presentation NGV Triennial | JR’s Homily to Country NGV Triennial | Introducing Homily to Country Presented by Ewan McEoin Triennial conversations | JR / Rivers in decline Badger Bates, Gabrielle Chan, Rachel Strachan and Alan Whyte in conversation with Ewan McEoin Triennial conversations | Revising narratives Claire G. Coleman, Frieda Toranzo Jaeger, Timothy Moore and Scotty So in conversation with Pip Wallis Triennial conversations | Resonant nature Refik Anadol and Dr Tessa Laird in conversation with Simone LeAmon Triennial conversations | Nature as collaborator Talin Hazbar, Elliot Bastianon, Geoff Nees and Hannah Presley in conversation with Myf Doughty Triennial conversations | Oceans on the edge Professor Madeleine van Oppen, Pirjo Haikola and Alex Goad in conversation with Ewan McEoin Triennial conversations | Get real estate Jill Garner, Amy Muir and Michael Bleby in conversation with Ewan McEoin Triennial conversations | Future First Nations Megan Cope, Angela Tiatia and Hannah Presley in conversation with Myles Russell-Cook Triennial conversations | A Dark Horizon Dr. Edward Colless and Professor Larissa Hjorthin in conversation with Dr. Simon Maidment Triennial conversations | House Of Heroines Lara Schnitger in conversation with Pip Wallis Triennial conversations | Quantum memories Refik Anadol in conversation with Simone LeAmon Triennial conversations | Downtime Faye Toogood in conversation with Simone LeAmon Triennial conversations | Crystalline Erez Nevi Pana in conversation with Ewan McEoin Triennial profile | Glenda Nicholls Triennial profile | Diamond Stingily Triennial profile | Liam Young Triennial profile | JR Interview with William Badger Bates Triennial profile | Refik Anadol Triennial profile | Tomoaki Suzuki Triennial profile | Faye Toogood Triennial profile | Alicja Kwade Triennial profile | Fred Wilson Triennial profile | Porky Hefer Triennial profile | Kengo Kuma Installing JR’s Homily to Country NGV Triennial 2020 Preparing for NGV Triennial 2020 Celebrating contemporary art, design and architecture Bringing NGV Triennial 2020 to life Celebrating contemporary art, design and architecture