Evolution of a Hybrid

Evolution of a Hybrid
Koen Vanmechelen

Two scenes in a room. On one side, three eggs lie on a crocodile skin, a relic of an ancient African past. Opposite this is a painting with a transparent mask, with horns of a deer and an egg. A shamanic construct. Together the two form a scene with a pressing question: which is chasing whom? Is it men who hunts nature or vice versa?

In this installation, man searches for the mix with nature. He longs to become more mythical by including the stories of nature into human culture. Only then, he can continue healing. In the background, the rhythmic forest yodeling of Baka women can be heard. They belong to a group of hunter-food collectors from Central Africa that is severely affected by deforestation. The women are the guardians of their culture; they are the muses who lead us with their songs to a future that consists of a mixture of nature and culture. Living together in balance and with respect. Whoever sees the muses knows the future. Those who listen to them are guided through the necessary but delicate transformation. Let's listen together.