Weeds are spontaneous, opportunistic, pioneer species that typically appear on sites of disturbed ground. Often considered problematic, they are nature’s first responders, preventing erosion, remediating soils, and providing food and shelter for insects and animals. As ‘plants out of place’, weeds disrupt easy categorisation and established boundaries, reminding us of the veering, queering, and rebellious dynamics of nature.

‘Under the Overgrowth is No Small Measure Of Sunlight’ celebrates the undercommons of the estate, drawing a connection between daylight as a spectrum of frequencies – which plants use for growth – and the inclusive nature of biodiversity. It asks us to consider how acts of unmaking and undoing that challenge binary distinctions can enable creative, generative and surprising ways of being in the world.

Based in Cape Town, artist Renée Holleman’s work reflects on issues related to land, decoloniality and connection to the more-than-human world. She draws on the imaginative and reflexive potential of the fragmentary and fictional in her explorations of history, ecology and the poetics and politics of place.

Most recently she has engaged with some of the city’s interstitial habitats, among the disorder and debris of urban development, towards a practice of care and reparation that encompasses the communal life of open spaces.

She has exhibited at The Ramp, Association for Visual Art and WHATIFTHEWORLD in Cape Town, Goodman Gallery in Johannesburg, Rencontres de Bamako in Mali, and Museet for Samtidskunst in Roskilde.