"Sportivo Utopia" residency at Mamuta Art and Research Center, Hansen House, Jerusalem

 May - July 2024

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Installation of a fully automated artificial greenhouse for somatically mutated tomato plants

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Hypertrophy is a state of abnormal growth. As a response to a crisis, a wound that only seems to grow deeper, the body enters a phase of fast cellular proliferation in order to heal. This healing is usually accompanied by awkwardness, pain, and scarring.

​As opposed to a professional sports team, Sportivo Utopia, the imagined team around which this exhibit is centered, does not seek to push the body to its' extremities. Rather, it turns its' gaze inwards and channels its athletic prowess into growth through healing. The team's strength is in its celebration of the creation of an unbridled life force. Sportivo Utopia fosters a mentality of abundance, giving all of it's members the place and food to be built anew.

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A very special thanks to Nadav Rorlich for helping grow the plants for this exhibit. Thank you to Dr. Aviva Somech, Prof. David Weiss, Lebat Green, Ofir Kuperman and Michael Lach for donating cuttings and seeds.

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Installation documentation by Hadas Hay

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