The exhibition’s title, The Farmer in the Dell, references a children’s song known in many European languages. Through the song, little ones learn how a community and a web of interspecies interdependence is formed through the making of successive alliances. Bringing together works by eight artists from different countries, including Poland, the exhibition places food security at the centre of contemporary climatic, social, economic and political challenges. It reveals the costs of this often-illusory promise of predictability, asking: how can we build a resilient food system capable of withstanding shocks without damaging either the planet or the people who sustain it?

In the concepts of both artists, rivers—such as the Oder—are seen as intersections that go beyond their history and status as border rivers. Rather, they are treated as non-human actors that, here and now, require our shared care. The art and activism of Malik and Kretschmer make us aware that rivers are living organisms, and their well-being is essential for our continued existence on this planet.

In the post-humanist era, fungi and their mycelium have come into focus due to their ability to adapt, spread, and survive. The artists show us that mycelium can serve as a biological metaphor for interconnected and non-hierarchical thinking. Fungi thus become positive protagonists in contemporary narratives that seek to develop optimistic visions for the future of the world in the face of an impending ecological catastrophe. Curated by M. Smolińska.

The exhibition explores invisible work—tasks that are often unpaid, undervalued, or erased. It addresses precarious employment, migration, social inequality, and historical omissions. Invisible work sustains societies but remains hidden, whether in households, construction, or mining. The exhibited works bring these unseen labor realities to light and question why certain forms of work and their contributors remain unrecognized. Curated by Marta Smolińska.