Socially-engaged artist Paul Chartrand discusses his work Kokedama: A Fragmented Garden at the Niagara Artists Centre in St. Catharines Ontario. Hear about the political side of houseplants, spider plants, staghorn and boston ferns, morning glories, and succulents: these green guerrillas that rebel against the concrete jungle and accelerate the reclamation of the city by nature. Consider plant balls as new communities and red wigglers that munch on constitutional documents in this artist’s search for nature’s self-renewing propulsion in the face of the stagnating structures of urban systems.

“There’s not necessarily one miracle ingredient, but it definitely involves the ability to reflect on one’s own personal circumstances and the issues that surround that in order to create a meaningful response. Offering that to others in way that sparks conversation is the best thing an artist can do. Art is almost inevitably a self-portrait.” - Paul Chartrand