GUILLAUME BARTH

Écosophia

St. John’s wort, yarrow and wild bellflower, wooden seating, 2026

Guillaume Barth’s installation is an exercise in minimalist restraint. It consists of three coloured circles – yellow, white and blue – formed from plants already found in Szilassy Park: St. John’s wort, yarrow and bellflower. Each circle is designed to offer visitors a space for rest, self-care and contemplation.

The plants were chosen not only for their colour, but also for their qualities. The first, St. John’s wort, bears a yellow flower known for its anti-inflammatory, healing and antiseptic properties. Traditionally gathered at the summer solstice and hung above doorways, it is believed to keep evil at bay. The second, white yarrow, takes its scientific name – Achillea millefolium – from Achilles who, according to Greek mythology, used it as an anti-inflammatory to treat the wounds of his soldiers. Druids are said to have held the plant to the eye as a tool for divination – perhaps even to see beyond the mountains. The third, blue bellflower, is both edible and soothing. Its bell-shaped bloom evokes the magical world of elves and fairies in Celtic mythology.

Écosophia draws its title from ecosophy, a school of thought that places human beings within the living world rather than above it. Through these three flowers – understood as expressions of the spirit of the place – Barth encourages us to rethink our relationship with plants, as living forms that care for us, but that also depend on our care in return.

Guillaume Barth (F, b. 1985*) lives and works between France and Mexico.