The interrelationship between people and plants is an inherent yet understudied aspect of arts in Asia. Since the 2010s, the material, historical, symbolic and socio-political values of various plants and botanical materials have received more attention in the contemporary arts across the region. In the book project from which this talk emerges, Dr Valjakka explores how East and Southeast Asian artists are exploring new (im)material plant-based practices at the nexus of changing perceptions and politics of vegetation. In this talk, Dr Valjakka focuses on these artistic practices that directly engage with plants and their agency in Hong Kong. Inspired by recent studies in eco-critical art history and critical plant studies, and through selected case studies that intertwine art, agriculture and gardening, she will explore how artists draw on explicit and implicit knowledge of the role of vegetation in more than human ecosystems. In doing so, artists such as Monti Lai Wai Yi and Natalie Lai Lai Lo are redefining, repurposing and restoring the role of plants within and beyond art. As a result, these botanical remediations not only address issues caused by cultural and socio-political transformations, but also offer ways to reconcile the relationships between different communities and ecosystems.

Through locally embedded research inspired by eco-critical art studies, urban studies and environmental humanities, Dr Minna Valjakka investigates artistic and creative practices in East and Southeast Asia. Her main interest is in exploring how diverse practices created in public spaces intersect with environmental issues and the formation of civil society formation. Her multi-sited approach is reflected in her publications in a range of journals, books and exhibition catalogues. As well as working on a monograph on contemporary botanical arts and their (im)material remediations, Dr Valjakka is leading a new interdisciplinary project, Ecological Conjunctions: Contemporary Arts and Natural Science Collaborations for Civil Society Formation (EcoConjunctions), funded by the Research Council of Finland (2024-2028).