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Strictly speaking not a botanic garden, but I can be generous in my definitions. Smack in the middle of the study area for my PhD project, in the municipality of Östra Göinge, lies the castle Wanås. It has a history stretching back into the 15th century and the castle played an important role in the wars between Sweden and Denmark during the 16th and 17th centuries. The current castle, which was built in the early 18th century, is still a private home, but the groves of oak and beech that cover the old castle grounds have been turned into an outdoor art exhibition. A place where nature, history and art meet, as they’ve phrased it on their website. And I really like the way they’ve done it. How the curators and artists really have taken advantage of and respected this old, historical place, with the massive trees, and managed to keep the integrity of the old groves while at the same time challenging our ideas of what a forest is and what art is by making the sculptures and installations blend into the landscape. It is surprising, and really exciting to explore. I’m not always a big fan of modern art, but here, as an aesthetically challenging walk in the woods, I really enjoyed it.
Photo: Wanås Konst & Slott, Östra Göinge, Sweden, May 2017. Posted on Instagram August 12, 2020.
Katja Malmborg 