Artist Alaa Abu Asad does ongoing research on unwanted species, mainly known as invasive species. The research traces the violent, xenophobic speech used to describe the Japanese knotweed and its parallel plants in the language often used to describe human migrants—a language that reveals the current human condition. It also imagines alternative ways of living with these species via raising questions about (mass) production ethics and (exploitative) forms of economy.
During the 2023 Japanese knotweed festival, Alaa has created an exhibition titled The Dog Chased its Tail To Bite it Off, which is currently still on display. Read more about it here.
In 2023 he also developed the Freedom Meal together with Uno Fujisawa and Aslı Hatipoğlu. They are currently working on the next Neo Futurist Dinner that will take place coming spring during our 2024 Japanese knotweed festival.
